Arizona Law Skirts Liberties

By Javier Gonzales
Chairman, Democratic Party of N.M.
By now we've all heard that Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed a bill into law requiring police to question the immigration status of everyday, law-abiding citizens under the guise of so-called "reasonable suspicion."
Police in Arizona may now ask citizens on the street for documents such as a passport or birth certificate to prove their citizenship. Angry citizens, advocacy groups and even the president of the United States have expressed criticism of the law, and I have no doubt that a string of costly legal challenges and lawsuits will ensue at the cost of the taxpayers.
This new law may be aimed at preventing illegal immigration, but it will affect legal American citizens from all 50 states. According to a report by the Associated Press, one Arizona resident, Arodi Berrelleza, a U.S. citizen and high school student from Phoenix, recently asked: "What if people are U.S. citizens? They're going to be asking them if they have papers because of the color of their skin."
It is clear that the United States needs comprehensive immigration reform, but not through laws that open the door to infringement of American civil liberties. Intimidation, harassment and racial profiling are not the ingredients for successful immigration reform in our nation.
Furthermore, families such as my own, who have lived in northern New Mexico for upwards of 400 years, may now be approached and potentially arrested on the street while visiting Arizona, if proof of citizenship cannot be produced.
On a personal level, that is frightening. On a political level, it's immoral.
Proponents of this law may argue this is simply a way to punish illegal immigrants who are already participating in illegal activities, such as gang activity or dealing drugs. Such logic makes little sense, when law enforcement officials currently arrest citizens and illegal immigrants, alike, for these crimes. This law only puts further strain on our law enforcement officials in solving crimes already taking place.
Allowing police officers to ask for a person's "papers" as they try to determine their immigration status infringes on all Americans' civil liberties. This is a very dangerous precedent and begs the question: What's next?
As chairman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico, I would be remiss to not mention all five Republican candidates for governor have come out in support of this bill. This is not surprising, considering it's so popular among Republicans — 77 percent of Republicans support the bill — and they each need every vote they can get leading up to June's primary.
Democrats are optimistic that once this bill is challenged and struck down, the dialogue for real immigration reform will begin.
Lt. Gov. Diane Denish recently said, "our immigration laws are broken, and we must do more to secure our borders, but racial profiling is wrong — and the Arizona law goes too far."
Denish is the only candidate for governor who is starting this dialogue in a meaningful way, and she will ensure that results are achieved working with New Mexico's congressional delegation — whom have all come out against this bill.
Immigration reform is a conversation we need to have in New Mexico, but not at the expense of our most basic civil liberties.