On April 23, 2010, Arizona Governor Janice K. Brewer signed the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act (SOLESNA), or Arizona Senate Bill 1070 (S.B. 1070, as it is popularly known). The purpose of the act is “... to discourage and deter the unlawful entry and presence of aliens and economic activity by persons unlawfully present in the United States” (Senate Bill 1070, 2010). Arizona Senate Bill 1070 is considered one of the harshest anti-immigration law due to it’s enforcements. Nevertheless, it is not the first law of it’s kind. Geographically, Arizona is prime for an anti-immigration bill such as S.B. 1070, as it is one of four states (including California, Texas, and New Mexico) that borders Mexico. Previously, Arizona passed laws such as proposition 200 in 2004, “which barred the provision of public benefits to illegal aliens and required proof of citizenship when individuals registered to vote” (Kobach, 2011). Then it followed with the Arizona human smuggling law in 2005 and the Legal Arizona Workers Act of 2007, “which made Arizona the first state in the nation to require all businesses to use the federal E-Verify program to confirm the work authorization of employees” (Kobach, 2011). While a bill such as S.B. 1070 can generate much controversy, support for its enactment can be traced back to Rob Krentz, an Arizona farmer that “ was shot and killed 30 miles outside of Douglas, Arizona nearly a month before the bill passed” (Long-Garcia, 2010). Although nobody was charged with the crime, the local authorities believed it to be the act of drug smugglers. According to The Battle for Arizona by Nathan Thornburgh, Krentz’s death arose issues that have been talked about before the incident but have not been dealt w...
... middle of paper ...
...). State out of the union: Arizona and the final showdown over the American dream. New York: Nation Books.
Brewer: Sb 1070 fight 'far from over'. (2010).The Swamp [Chicago Tribune - BLOG], .
Brown, D. (2012). An invitation to profile: Arizona v. united states. International Journal of Discrimination and the Law, 12(2), 117-127.
Kobach, K. (2011). Arizona's s.b. 1070 explained. UMKC Law Review, 79(4), 815-1629.
Lacayo, A. E. (2011). One year later: A look at SB1070 and copycat legislation. National Council of La Raza, 18.
Nill, A. (2011). Latinos and s.b. 1070: Demonization, dehumanization, and disenfranchisement. Harvard Latino Law Review, 14, 35-66.
Selden, D. , Pace, J. , & Nunn-Gilman, H. (2011). Placing s.b 1070 and racial profiling into context, and what s.b 1070 reveals about the legislative process in arizona. Arizona State Law Journal, 43(2), 523-1045.
In an article written by a Senior student they discuss a monumental moment in Mexican American history concerning equality in the South. The student’s paper revolves around the Pete Hernandez V. Texas case in which Hernandez receives a life in prison sentence by an all white jury. The essay further discusses how Mexican Americans are technically “white” americans because they do not fall into the Indian (Native American), or black categories and because of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo of 1848. The student’s paper proceeds to discuss the goals connecting the Hernandez V. Texas case which was to secure Mexican American’s right within the fourteenth amendment [1].
Gonzalez, Juan. Harvest of Empire a History of Latinos in America. New York: Penguin Putnam Inc, 2000.
It is crucial to understand the historical context of immigration in America. Initially, most immigrants were from Europe and were not restricted by any immigration laws. Now, most immigrants come from Latin America but are restricted to severe immigration laws. The Latino/a community is one of the most severely affected groups because the current immigration system disproportionally affects Latino/as. Recognizing how the experience of Latino/a immigrants have been both similar and different in the past from other immigrant groups and dispelling common misconceptions about Latino/as today brings awareness of how Latino/as are affected.
Works Cited The "Civil Rights" Cornell University Law School, Inc. 2010. Web. The Web. The Web. 1 Apr. 2011.
For the past few years there has been an ongoing debate surrounding the issue of racial profiling. The act of racial profiling may rest on the assumption that African Americans and Hispanics are more likely to commit crimes than any individual of other races or ethnicities. Both David Cole in the article "The Color of Justice" and William in the article "Road Rage" take stance on this issue and argue against it in order to make humanity aware of how erroneous it is to judge people without evidence. Although Cole and William were very successful in matters of showing situations and qualitative information about racial profiling in their articles, both of them fail at some points.
"Racial Profiling: Definition." American Civil Liberties Union. N.p., 05 Nov. 2005. Web. 06 Mar. 2014. .
Holbert, S., & Rose, L. (2006). It is difficult to establish whether racial profiling is occurring, In D. E. Nelson, Racial Profiling. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Press.
...ebates and reform have been mainly coming from the federal level, several measures have been passed the state level. Some states have been trying to pass restrictive laws that limit illegal immigration such as Arizona’s SB1070. This law imposes criminal punishments on illegal aliens and also those who harbor, employ or transport them. In 2010, the Supreme Court challenged Arizona’s strict laws and dismissed three out of the four major parts of the law. The only thing they upheld was the ability to ask for proof of citizenship. Other programs such as the Secure Communities program began as an volunteer process. Some states disliked the program and attempted to opt-out only to be denied. The program has now stated that participation within the 50 states is mandatory, which stirred protests to local governments. However the program has had no legal challenges to date.
The government being part of the public sector has used its dominating power to create several policies that assist in the oppression of people of color. These policies have also helped in the development of stereotypes that hinder people of color. For many individuals of color these policies have helped whites carry out their prejudices without being reprimanded. There has been discriminating polices made for several different government, state, and city affairs. However, the policies on immigration, welfare, and housing have made enormous impacts on people of color. Though these policies do not outright say the desired discriminatory outcomes, the deceitful ways they are written help produce them. The immigration policies were created after the influx of Hispanics coming into America for work; though the government was responsible for enticing them. There has been a push pull push back factor (class notes 10-27-10) ass...
Anti-defamation League. “Arizona: The Key Players in the Anti-immigrant Movement.” Adi.org. 2013. Web. 19 Oct 2013.
Rudovsky, David. "Breaking the Pattern of Racial Profiling." TRIAL. Aug. 2002: 29+. SIRS Issues Researcher.
What would it be like to wake up everyday knowing you would get bullied, mistreated, and/or abused just because of where you were born? Discrimination still exists! “Discrimination remains and there is an increase in hate crimes against Hispanics, Latinos and Mexican-Americans, as one of the perceived symbols of that discrimination, the U.S.-Mexico Border Fence, nears completion. Instead of pulling together in these difficult times, we may see a greater polarization of attitudes” (Gibson). But why are hate crimes increasing towards Latin and Hispanic aliens and what types of discrimination are occurring against them? Understanding violence towards the Hispanic and Latin alien is divided into three main classes; the difference between legal and illegal aliens, the attacks and effects, and the point of view of different people towards aliens.
From the above it is quite evident that what the US Government has been doing through its application of immigration laws is the exclusion of specific races from its borders. Despite the reasons that may be given for these actions, it is clear that the author raises valid points regarding the disturbing similarity between immigration laws and institutionalized racism (Ngai, 78).
In the past few years, racial profiling has become a very prominent issue in American society. In “Racial Profiling,” “Racial Profiling is a controversial and illegal discriminatory practice in which individuals are targeted for suspicion of crimes based on their ethnicity, race, or religion rather than on evidence-based suspicious behavior” (Para. 11). Many people are wronged because of this phenomenon and effects many of them in multiple ways. Racial profiling is effecting many people and it needs to be addressed.
Latinos face a lot of discrimination when they come to the united stated or they try to assimilate to the American culture. Most immigrants have to deal with the police investigating them because they think they are all drug dealers or are in some type of illegal organization. They also have to deal with people calling them names because of their skin color. Americans also accuse Hispanics of stealing their jobs (Ramos, 53). They also face seeing racist graffiti on homes or wall of a building and they have to face hate crimes (Plunkett, 15). They sometimes get excluded from white communities (Plunkett, 39). Latinos are also blamed for serious problems the country faces (Ramos, 195). There are reasons for Americans to discriminate Latinos and reasons why they shouldn’t discriminate them.