Why is the AZ Immigration Law so popular among people?

[NAO]

I'm a native Arizonan and I thought the law was horrible, pure right-wing hatred, and certainly unconstitutional, from the minute I heard about it.

Yet in talking to friends, family and co-workers, it seems to be immensely popular, even among self-described Democrats. Gallup reported 51% approve; other polls have reported as high as 70% approval (a recent UPI poll).

And I'm hearing about all these other states who want to enact similar laws?

Now, I'm sure racism is a factor, but how are basically decent people, who are not overtly racist, liking this legislation?

Why doesn't the argument, "it's unconstitutional, and fascist" seem to have any effect? People can laugh at "the 'show me your papers' is like Hitler" bit, and in the next breath voice support for the law?

[Walk away]

1. Most stupid people blame their problems (real or imaginary) on the "other".

It sounds as if no matter how these people describe themselves, the are just garden variety racists in the end.

[napi21]

2. My guess is that they're scare. Not of all huspanics, but there IS a eal problem with drugs being

sumggled into the US by peoplefrom mexico and that creates gang wars. Most people don't want ny poart of that and they're afraid of people like that. I would be too! I think your so-workers like the ;aw because they think somebody is doing somethig about that. They're wrong of course, but I think they'd latchon onto any idea that would stop that crazy stuff.

[NAO]

7. There is a massive gun violence problem, but they won't endorse gun control

You can make the same argument with guns:

There is a massive problem; people are dying; therefore we need to confiscate all the guns; 2nd amendment be damned. We'll give you your gun back after you prove you are not a criminal. Lawful gun owners have nothing to worry about.

There is a massive problem with immigrants; people are dying; therefore we need to round up brown people, 4th amendment be damned. We'll let you go after you "show us your papers". Lawful residents have nothing to worry about.

The logic is literally identical. But try the first one and you'll likely start a massive insurrection. Try the second one and everybody cheers.

[XOKCowboy]

17. Good point...

AAMOF they'd use immigrants as justification for easing gun laws.

I'm also a little mystified about the national reaction to this law. Makes me wanna go buy sunscreen.

[BlooInBloo]

3. Pretty sure it's only popular with white folks.

[sandnsea]

4. Because they are racists

And the "not overtly" part only means people of color can be here until a white person wants their job.

[TransitJohn]

5. Simple

[NAO]

12. Immigrants can "steal" hubcaps. They cannot "steal" jobs. A job is given to them

Jobs are given by employers who does not want to pay minimum wage and or taxes.

Immigrants cannot steal jobs. They have never stolen jobs. They have been GIVEN jobs by people who are breaking the law. People who, unlike immigrants, have something to loose.

That is where I think enforcement should target their efforts.

[bemildred]

6. Perhaps you have a narrow range of acquaintances? nt

[G_j]

8. Welcome to the new dark ages nt

[Zoeisright]

9. Because they're stupid and mean. And rather than blame problems on the REAL

culprits, it makes them feel better to blame them on people who have less than they do. Basic human nature. It's really stupid and ignorant, but it's basic.

[Timmy5835]

10. This law was NEVER about immigration

Greg Plast (sp?) and the BBC did an investigation on the bill and found it's really about voting rights. The white Arizona majority is about to become a minority. Mexican-Americans are about to become the majority in that state, this scares the whites in the state to death. So they are doing everything in their power to move the Mexican-American population out of their state and save their majority. Back when Gov. Brewer was Sec. of State she was able to purge over 100,000 legal Mexican-American voters off the rolls. If they really wanted to stop illegal immigration into the state they could simply pass a bill making it illegal to knowingly hire an undocumented worker. But if you did that Arizona's Ag businesses would come to a screeching halt.

[Dulcinea]

26. We have a winner! *ding*ding*

Illegal immigration is tolerated, and will continue to be tolerated, because it drives the economic machine. The unintended consequences are just what you described--Mexican-Americans voting Dem, & killing the white Repub majority. Can't have that, can we??!!

[SargeUNN]

11. it is such an emotionally charged issue

I have spend over a week now working on it and trying to report on it objectively, as well as doing research of where a similar law was passed. I talked to several on the issue who were proponents of it and those where passionately against it, and found that emotions are running so high on both sides that it is dividing people based on sometimes irrational reasoning. I started a thread here that I thought pretty uncontentious and at first had 2 recs, but those disappeared without any statements so I have to assume it was just people who can't state their objections and maybe the fact that in the interview I talked to a man who was a key figure in passing such a law in Va. and because of that anything he said didn't matter and I was doing wrong even discussing it with him. I have invited him on my show and he has agreed to take calls as well even though I was reluctant to do so since I want to hear what he says and I did find his views changed some in the 2 years since. He still has a hostile blog but on this law here in Arizona he stated a much more mellow position in my conversation with him compared to 2 year old videos of the battle in Prince William County. I guess the sad part is that tempers are flaring and hope of any real rational and informative discussion is going to be hard to find. It is too bad because talking with him, much of what I have heard about how these issues become a political firestorm he told me and what I have witnessed here in Arizona like the death of a rancher and the shooting of Deputy Sheriff are often sensationalized and the truth is abandoned.

[NAO]

13. Those two homicides are being overplayed by news. How many gun homicides?

How many gun homicides have their been in the same time period? Does that mean we should confiscate, or require "papers" for every firearm, and enable police to lawfully search anyone at any time for firearms, including coming into their homes because they have a car on blocks, and demanding to see papers for each firearm?

How well would that go over? We'd hear much loud rhetoric about the Bill of Rights and the sacred 2nd ammendment? Isn't the 4th amendment just as sacred as the 2nd?

[SargeUNN]

16. I didn't state this in my above response because I have already ...

posted it so much I figured it wasn't needed. However since it seems those threads aren't being viewed as much as a thread that can turn into a flaming post, I guess it might be needed to post here as well.

The place I stated is Prince William County Va. and you can see the events as record in 2007 on youtube by searching for 9500 Liberty. The results was a bill very similar to the one here in Arizona also written by FAIR, was passed and went into law. The effects were a disaster and the law was soon revisited and changed which brought the community back to a more normal status. One of the big problems that people I have talked to on both sides was that as the issue got to be more of a political firestorm and people started digging in to villianize each other, the more the problems got out of hand. Also some took it for political advantage and things just got nasty. Finally some started to be discredited and started to rethink the issue and they were able then to change it to a more reasonable status.

I certainly understand the hatred of SB1070 since I live in Arizona and have fought it and still am. I also realize that the more we allow tempers and anger, overrule working to find a way to resolve the issue the more it makes it hard to do so. The answer that keeps popping up to me is that we would be wise to use what happened in Prince William as a guide, and talking to Greg who pushed for the bill today, I find he has changed his attitude some to a more mild view. This is what I am calling for and sorry to say I think I am caught in a position of saying let's approach this without all the demonizing and division and try to fix the problem instead, but I find that terrority decreasing and like in the old Jim Crow days, pushing people to go with one side or the other and ending hope of a real solution for a long time.

[pinboy3niner]

18. Border violence is NOT increasing

The Gov., McCain and others are playing to residents' fears and frustrations by claiming--falsely--that border violence is increasing. In an excellent article, the Arizona Republic demonstrates that those inflammatory claims are contradicted by law enforcement officers on the border--and crime statistics back them up.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8258127

[cstanleytech]

14. A number of reasons.

Main one imo is because its easier for people to blame illegal immigrants for problems rather than blame the one most likely at fault, themselves.

[pnwmom]

15. I think because of the sheer numbers involved. Every year the U.S.

accepts, through the lottery system, a certain number of legal immigrants from all around the world -- with priority going to relatives of U.S. citizens. Illegal immigrants, mostly from Central and South America, add another 50% on top of that number. So a third of all our yearly immigrants are illegals from the same general region.

[Cleobulus]

19. Because they are idiots who are gullible...

they assume the law will work as intended, and that it will help solve the illegal immigration problem, it will do neither, of course, but that's not the point, it gives the appearance of doing SOMETHING, and that's all they are interested in.

[verdalaven]

20. I am also a Arizona Native

transplanted in MI about 15 yrs ago.

I don't understand the support for this law, either. The main concern I have heard from family and friends, alike, is not so much illegal immigrants taking jobs or using our resources, but about the growing violence of drug traffickers. My response is this - Is it really going to stop violent drug smugglers from entering our country and committing crimes? NO! Our laws have not stopped them before, why would this law stop them? And, if our police force is bogged down profiling our own citizens, they have less time for actual criminals.

How about legalizing drugs? I wonder how that would affect the "drug wars" or the border violence?

[glowing]

23. And that probably correlates to the NAFTA shitty agreement..

First they left their farms for the factories, then the factories shuttered to China, and now its just easier money to sell the drugs to the Americans willing to buy.

AND like the CIA or the DEA really want drugs to be legal or for the "war" to stop... They are making lots of money with this "war on drugs".

[barbtries]

21. i give up

i find the law heinous and racist.

[glowing]

22. Jobs/ Economy. Its not too hard to understand that illegal/ undocumented

means companies hire slave labor.. and force wages down... It would end with better trade agreements that encouraged "fair trade"; not "free trade" and with enforcement of fines that would put a company out of business if caught hiring undocumented workers... AND it makes it really hard on immigrants who wait in line for a chance at working or becoming a citizen. It also makes it really hard on those who are brown... suspicion immediately seems to be directed upon them, even if their lineage has been in the US longer than some of the white people immigrants/ families. It sucks all the way around for everyone. Its a "do something" response that really won't work all that well.. You have police balking at it. You have people boycotting the state. Its not a real sollution to a problem that should have been addressed a long time ago... Remember old Regan.. he just did a blanket amnesty and washed his hands of the whole mess. This isn't new.

[political_Dem]

24. Anything that supports keeping white privilege in tact will be touted and voted in.

After all, to the "good God-fearing folks" of Arizona, this is part of "taking their country back".

[pampango]

25. Bad economic times = anti-immigrant sentiment. Always has, probably always will. Even in Europe

right-wing political parties are making hay pushing a "blame the immigrants (and all "others")" mantra in elections in the Netherlands, France and Hungary recently. We'll see how the far-right does in the UK this week. Seems like the Liberal Democrats are trying to push back against anti-immigrant sentiment.