Arizona and "Papers Please"

by D. Ray Morton

I guess all we need to get the blood pumping through bipartisan veins is the passage of some “abhorrent” law that everyone can agree is a mishandling of our Constitutional rights. Arizona’s “Papers, Please” law certainly has one thing going for it, which is for at least one news cycle, the fake outrage on the right is somewhat disproportionate to the legitimate outrage from both democrats and republicans over this law.

Once again though, I have trouble finding REAL information. If you listen to enough commentary about the law, it would seem to imply police have not only the authority but the EXPECTATION to randomly stop people and ask for their proof of citizenship. A seemingly more rational explanation I heard though states that this isn’t true, and that police can only request documents if the person in question has already been under suspicion for some other illegal activity. Sure, we certainly don’t live in a world where such a suspicion can always been documented as a JUST suspicion, and maybe this law does insight racial profiling, and I’d certainly agree that this is not a positive direction for us to go, but I can’t in good conscience freak out about this bill as much as other people.

In fact, illegal immigration is a topic where I am surpassingly conservative. I have little respect or “slack” that I want to offer for people who are here illegally. It’s the “goodie two shoes” in me, that I’ve had for a long time. For instance, when I was a kid I’d always tattletale on others. Something would happen and I’d get in trouble for something. Then I’d see another kid do the exact same thing, so I’d tell the teacher. Usually then I’d get punched by the other kid who just got caught, but I’d also get reprimanded from the teacher for being a “tattletale”, as if I didn’t just help her do HER job! I never understood that unwritten rule that you don't rat on your friends for doing something wrong. My philosophy as a kid, and today, is “No! You just did something wrong! I saw it! If I am going to get in trouble for doing that exact same thing wrong, then you are too!” There is no “Well, you got by without getting caught, so bravo” to me.

So, with illegal immigration, I just can’t get comfortable defending illegal conduct. I’m not sure of the specifics in what it takes to legally be considered a citizen (i know there is a test I probably wouldn’t pass), but I always come back to the argument that being here illegally is an affront to all the people who took the time to do the process right, and any slack we give to illegals only reinforces them and delegitimizes our actual regulations for being here legally. If you and your family just cant live where you are, and you like our country that much, then have the respect to do what it takes to be here legally. And if you just cant manage that, then find another country with an easier process. And if you did get here illegally, you certainly shouldn’t act surprised or act like your freedoms are compromised if we find out.

And the law itself isn’t a HUGE slap in the face to freedom. Sure, it’s an inconvenience, but if you are not breaking the law, you should have nothing to worry about! And the law isn’t a Nazi-inspired swipe at an entire culture for personal reasons. Rather, it’s a response to the fact that we do have an illegal immigration problem in this country, some DO take advantage of the system, and while the law may not be popular, this might in fact do some good. There’d be no need for the new law if there weren’t a problem. Maybe it wasn’t the best law to make, but comparisons to Naziism imply this law was just created to fan the flame of bigotry. It wasn’t. It was created to fix an abused State.

I don’t know what law I’d put in its place. I do something. I’d find another way. But there is something to be said with how quickly this thing passed, right? I mean, who says government can’t move? And I know my criticisms of illegal immigration are more of a broad declaration against the PROBLEM, and not much of a comment on what to do with all the people who are already here illegally. That’s a different story. And I’ll get there. I guess my point is only that some good can come from laws like this, even if they aren’t everything we want them to be.