Touchy Subject Times Two

What a week! I haven't written because I've been spending every waking free moment working on my book. Even when I've wanted to write in my blog I've sat down and started writing scenes from the story. In fact, I've even been spending the half hour between dropping my older kids off at school and when the gym child care opens writing in a notebook in the minivan. (One morning I got so absorbed in this that B climbed out the open sunroof to sit on top of the van, and I had no inkling of it until one of the people from the gym called across the parking lot at her.) But I apologize for letting the blog slack off a bit while I've been otherwise obsessed.

There is one subject that managed to penetrate my fictional world daze this week though. In case you haven't yet heard, Arizona has been the subject of some major controversy lately. Our state legislature passed a bill (which our governor signed), which tightens the reigns on illegal immigration. There has been a ton of controversy about this, and Terence has now been called several times down to the Capitol to make sure the protests don't get out of control. Most Arizonans I know personally are deliriously happy about this new law, and most of the media has been crucifying the state over it. President Obama makes jokes about it (and rebukes us), and the mayor of Sacramento is calling for a boycott of Arizona. (Though, pray tell, why on earth would that matter to our state? Does Sacramento single-handedly support our entire tourist industry? Are tourists even coming in the midst of the recession?)

If you've heard anything about the bill, you likely have an opinion on it. And unless you've read the bill in itself, I suspect you may not have much real information on it. The media has sure whipped up a frenzy about it with all kinds of misleading information. Bear with me for a moment, because I have read the bill, and here is the general gist of it:

1. No county or city in AZ is allowed to make their own immigration policy that is more lenient than the federal laws (i.e. Phoenix can't shoot to become a sanctuary city).

2. If a police officer has to deal with you because you have broken a law (anywhere from shooting someone to speeding), and he has some reason to suspect you are here illegally, he is required to figure out if you are here illegally. If he finds that you are illegally here, he is required to turn you over immigration. However, a cop can't just pull you over because he thinks maybe you are illegal and call la migra on you.

3. They've made clear definitions on what is considered human trafficking or smuggling, and made it a felony to do so. (Relatives beware-- if you knowingly make the travel plans for your family abroad to come here illegally or wire them the money to do so, you are now breaking the law.)

4. Being present on state or federal land without having legal status is now trespassing under state laws, as well as a violation of federal law.

5. Most of the law has to do with how it is a crime to hire someone illegal and the consequences for businesses or individuals who do so. There are some HEFTY fines involved. Also, they made it a crime to stop a car when you're blocking traffic and hire someone off the street. (Even if they are legally here. So much for the prostitutes, eh? Oh wait, that was already illegal.)

6. A new fund is established using the fines from all these things for combating gangs, drug trafficking, and illegal immigration.

So there it is. Just in case you don't know, almost all of those things are already illegal under federal law. Yeah, nothing really new here. (Except the no stopping to hire someone on the street corner.)

Where do I stand on the issue? Well, my side is neither in line with most of the angry state of AZ, nor do I side with the ridiculous people down at the capitol chanting "Sí, se puede!" and waving Mexican flags. (Seriously, you're not helping your case.) My opinion is colored by the fact that I spent my mission in New York, where most of the people I came to know and love were here illegally. So please don't accuse me of not having compassion or being prejudiced. I've been rather sickened by the gloating, sometimes racist and certainly callous opinions of people who really do see the illegal immigration issue as a chance to stick it to Hispanics.

Quite frankly, I think that our country is a wonderful land who over the decades has benefited immensely from immigration. I'm not worried about being "overrun." However, I also believe that there has to be rule of law here, and the law has to apply to everyone equally. I mean everyone. I realize that it doesn't always work that way, but that's no reason why we shouldn't try to live up to those ideals. The immigration mess is a complicated, sticky issue that can in no way be fixed easily. But to put our heads in the sand, or to just shrug and legalize everyone who's here, is not a solution. As a start, I think the federal government needs to step up and do two things: secure the border (I mean close the thing down hard) and drastically revise the quotas to allow for larger numbers of legal Latin American immigrants. Then we can work on the other thorny sides of this issue.

Still, there is a reason why Arizona chose to make this law, and why most Arizonans support it. (And trust me, they do.) The federal government is not doing their job, and we have become a drug-running, human trafficking corridor. It's not pleasant, and it costs our state a fortune. As the wife of a cop, I can tell you, my husband is far more at risk of being killed because he pulls over a coyote with a dope or human load than he is because he pulls over a psycho. Just last week we had a deputy shot in a county in the middle of the state (not on the border) because he stumbled across a staging area where guys toting AK-47's were guarding loads of drugs. It's a serious, dangerous issue here.

Well, that's my opinion on this issue. So now if you see me post on Facebook that my husband has been deployed to the capitol again, you'll know what the fuss is about. As for Arizona being unpopular with the media and other outspoken well-known figures, well, this is the home of Wyatt Earp. We are still a state of renegades, I guess. So be it.