According to AP reports the Texas legislature has now approved a bill (and the governor will sign it) giving permission to law enforcement officers in Texas to ask about anyone’s legal status in the U.S. during any detention including a routine traffic stop. In fact, the law is aimed at law enforcement agencies in the state including county and city sheriff and police departments because many of them have policies forbidding racial profiling. According to critics, this law’s entire purpose is to encourage racial profiling by police.
During the last state wide election the current governor was re-elected partly because his opponent, mayor of a major city in the state, was saddled by critics as may0r of a “sanctuary city” which is one that allegedly does not actively seek out and arrest and detain illegal immigrants. This law seems to be a response to the widespread belief in so-called sanctuary cities.
Counties and municipalities that adopt policies forbidding law enforcement officers to inquire about persons’ legal status in the U.S. without reason (i.e., to suspect they are illegal immigrants) will lose state funding.
Ironically, this is exactly the kind of power abuse state officials (including especially the governor) have been whining about with regard to the federal government for a long time. The federal government offers states grants with strings attached–usually to prevent states from misusing the funds to favor certain groups. Now the state government is doing the same to local governments.
Anyone who thinks this will not lead to law enforcement officers routinely asking Hispanic appearing or speaking persons (e.g., with a Hispanic accent) about their legal status during routine traffic stops (etc.) is out of their mind. In many places it probably won’t, but in other places it certainly will.
The big question about these laws is why they are aimed at illegal immigrants rather than the people who hire and pay them. Sure, there are laws against that, but they are rarely enforced. It’s easier to target foreigners than your neighbors. I have known people who gladly hire illegal immigrants to do roof and lawn work (so that they can pay them less) and turn around and harshly condemn illegal immigrants for taking away Americans’ jobs.
In my opinion, these laws are clear examples of scapegoating. That is why they are demanded and popular. The economy is bad and people need a scapegoat. President Obama is one. (I’ve never heard the kind of hatred expressed toward a President I’ve heard aimed at this one. I saw a bumper sticker recently that said “Obama–If I’d known this I would have picked my own cotton!”) Hispanics in general, because they are assumed to be illegal immigrants until they prove otherwise, are others.
In my opinion, these state laws are clear examples of politicians pandering to the worst impulses among their constituents.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In