Department of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education
Date of this Version
5-2010
Abstract
Unlike Italy, the United States has a long history as a country of immigration. Most Americans need only go back several generations to find the story of their ancestors and how they came to the United States to look for a better life. While there has always been some anti-immigrant sentiment in the U.S., currently it is stronger than ever, and has recently resulted in the passing of SB 1070 in Arizona. This bill signed by Governor Jan Brewer on April 23, 2010 states that “for any lawful contact made by a law enforcement official or agency…. where reasonable suspicion exists that the person is an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States, a reasonable attempt shall be made, when practicable, to determine the immigration status of the person”.
For Italians and many other countries around the world, the routine checking of identification is nothing out of the ordinary. In the United States, this is not so, and is part of the underlying principles of freedom that form a basis for many conservative groups across the country. Regardless of the Governor’s promise to provide training to prevent racial profiling, this law will unfairly punish people based on their ethnicity, race or language. In the state of Arizona, where people have been recently given the right to carry concealed weapons without a permit, it seems odd that lawmakers would want more power given to the government.
Comments
Published by Everyone Group for International Cooperation on Human Rights Culture. Retrieved from: http://www.everyonegroup.com/EveryOne/MainPage/Entries/2010/5/13_SB_1070_Immigration_Bill_in_Arizona.html