Arizona: Fuckin' Mexicans, how do they work?

[Stephen Maturin]

The United States is a deeply divided country at present, but there's one thing on which all Americans can agree -- the brown folk have had it way too easy for way too long in the great state of Arizona. Well no more. Party's over, Sanchez.

On Friday, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed a tough new bill aimed at getting really tough on the illegal browns. Kenyan hippie jackoffs oppose the new law, but true patriots like John McCain, Bill Kristol and grandstanding redneck jagoff Sheriff Joe Arpaio give it boners-up all the way around.

Senate Bill No. 1070 (pdf, 17 pages) is a true piece o' work. To begin at the end, it's called the "Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act." No explicit references to Jesus or how much Jesus hates Mexicans, but a damn fine title nonetheless.

Substantively, we start with:

A. NO OFFICIAL OR AGENCY OF THIS STATE OR A COUNTY, CITY, TOWN OR OTHER POLITICAL SUBDIVISION OF THIS STATE MAY ADOPT A POLICY THAT LIMITS OR RESTRICTS THE ENFORCEMENT OF FEDERAL IMMIGRATION LAWS TO LESS THAN THE FULL EXTENT PERMITTED BY FEDERAL LAW.

Does this actually happen in Arizona, or is this a solution in search of a problem?

Strangely enough, the bill appears largely aimed at cops, in particular the one or two remaining cops in Arizona who don't harass brown folk as a matter of course:

B. FOR ANY LAWFUL CONTACT MADE BY A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL OR AGENCY OF THIS STATE OR A COUNTY, CITY, TOWN OR OTHER POLITICAL SUBDIVISION OF THIS STATE 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.

They don't come right out and say "harass every beaner you see," but the message is clear enough anyway.

But there's so much more. My personal favorite is the new trespass statute that renders it a criminal offense to be (1) in Arizona and (2) an illegal Mexican. Violating the statute is generally a class 1 misdemeanor, but it can go all the way up to a class 4 felony if the defendant is a repeat offender or was kicked out of the country within the preceding sixty months.

Commutation or suspension of sentence is unavailable until after the full sentence is served. So, yeah. We hate having the illegal Mexicans here so very, very much that we'll ... we'll ... um, keep them here for years and years if we catch them. Of course, that's likely just a way to keep the engines of the slave labor prison system running at full capacity, but that's a whole 'nother rant.

[Clutch Munny]

You had me at boners-up.

[Naru]

Arizona: Fuckin' Mexicans, how do they work?

By stealing our welfare, and best jobs to boot.

Edit: http://www.google.com/search?source=...=&oq=&gs_rfai=

God damn Google is fast.

[Kael]

I was going to start this thread with the title "[Fucking] Discrimination, How Does It Work?", but I got lazy this weekend.

[viscousmemories]

It's about time; maybe this will take some of the heat off us Texans.

[Deadlokd]

Originally Posted by Naruto

By stealing our welfare, and best jobs to boot.

Edit: by stealing our welfare, and best jobs to boot - Google Search

God damn Google is fast.

They know to keep an eye on us now. We probably have our own little army of Googlebots dedicated to sniffing out our lulz.

I would have answered the question with "better than your average redneck."

[LadyShea]

Um, having lived in the American SW, I know that a large portion of the population are brown, and multi-generational natural born Americans. FFS Arizona was Mexico when it was originally settled.

How many lawsuits you think will arise from the cops hassling a fuckload of citizens?

[Sauron]

Originally Posted by Kael

I was going to start this thread with the title "[Fucking] Discrimination, How Does It Work?", but I got lazy this weekend.

Figures. I'll bet you're Mexican, aren't you?

[beyelzu]

Originally Posted by Naruto

By stealing our welfare, and best jobs to boot.

Edit: by stealing our welfare, and best jobs to boot - Google Search

God damn Google is fast.

landscaping, gardening, and picking our fruit?

[D. Scarlatti]

Countdown to injunction.

[viscousmemories]

Originally Posted by Ladyshea

How many lawsuits you think will arise from the cops hassling a fuckload of citizens?

The law essentially requires cops to hassle citizens. No doubt there will be lawsuits, but I don't know if they'll get very far.

[LadyShea]

Depends on how "reasonable suspicion" is defined. Suits could go far with language like that because I don't know how well "I was suspicious that he was illegal because he looked Mexican" will hold up in court.

[Ensign Steve]

Everything is spelled correctly.

[Nullifidian]

Originally Posted by LadyShea

Depends on how "reasonable suspicion" is defined. Suits could go far with language like that because I don't know how well "I was suspicious that he was illegal because he looked Mexican" will hold up in court.

That's why the popo of all states have developed a handy set of evasions that sound less overtly discriminatory than "I was suspicious because he looked Mexican/Black in a Benz/not from 'round heah."

[California Tanker]

Although I have no problem with most of the legislation, I am at a bit of a loss as to how the requirement to provide proof of legal residence (and the corollary requirement to carry such documentation everywhere 'just in case') managed to get past without someone in the AG's office saying "You know, I'm not entirely sure this is Constitutional..."

[Edit: I'm now being told that this is a misrepresentation, and the AZ law merely mirrors existing Federal law on the subject. I am having great difficulty finding an unbiased site which actually quotes/links to the laws in question instead of simply making interpretations or repeating what was said elsewhere. Anyone have a reliable link?]

NTM

[Dingfod]

In other news, Oklahoma lawmaker is jealous Arizona beat him to it.

[LadyShea]

Originally Posted by California Tanker

[Edit: I'm now being told that this is a misrepresentation, and the AZ law merely mirrors existing Federal law on the subject. I am having great difficulty finding an unbiased site which actually quotes/links to the laws in question instead of simply making interpretations or repeating what was said elsewhere. Anyone have a reliable link?]

NTM

The bill itself is linked as a .pdf in the OP

[Sauron]

ROFL

The conflict over a sweeping crackdown on illegal immigration in Arizona intensified Monday as vandals smeared refried beans in the shape of swastikas on the state Capitol's windows.

[D. Scarlatti]

Fear not, everybody, federal preemption doctrine expert Bill Kristol has reviewed the legislation and predicts at the outside, 13 Fourth Amendment violations shall occur:

"I doubt that it violates the Constitution, if it does, it’s a matter of federal preemption against state law."

No biggie!

I doubt that I would drown in the ocean, if I did, it's a matter of the water.

[LadyShea]

Originally Posted by D. Scarlatti

Fear not, everybody, federal preemption doctrine expert Bill Kristol has reviewed the legislation and predicts at the outside, 13 Fourth Amendment violations shall occur:

I doubt that it violates the Constitution, if it does, it’s a matter of federal preemption against state law.

No biggie!

Wait, the 4th Amendment protects against police stopping people on the street due to their skin and hair color? What? Huh? How come nobody told anybody?

[Stephen Maturin]

Originally Posted by D. Scarlatti

I doubt that I would drown in the ocean, if I did, it's a matter of the water.

Personally, I'm pleased that the Arizona legislature finally found something to do with that embarrassing excess of cash threatening to bust open the state treasury at the seams. I'm sure the taxpayers will consider every penny poured into the attorney fees and litigation expenses required to defend this legislation as money well spent.

[Dingfod]

A brazillion dollar shortfall doesn't seem to bother the Oklahoma legislature in their quest to make abortion so difficult as to be effectively banninated.

[Brimshack]

Speaking of racial profiling, it will be interesting when the number of Native Americans pressed on the matter goes up right along with the number of Latinos and Fillipinoes, etc. ...all of which will merely be a coincidence, I am sure.

[D. Scarlatti]

Lot of tanning salons filing for bankruptcy too.

[Sauron]

Originally Posted by Brimshack

Speaking of racial profiling, it will be interesting when the number of Native Americans pressed on the matter goes up right along with the number of Latinos and Fillipinoes, etc. ...all of which will merely be a coincidence, I am sure.

And god knows those Native Americans are certainly here illegally.