Alabama has joined a list of states that have put into effect strict, controversial laws regarding illegal immigration. This law allows police, while stopping people for another reason, to check their immigration status if they simply suspect they may be in the country illegally. Additionally, anyone seeking to enroll in a school will have to have their citizenship status checked. Furthermore, it will be illegal to transport or house an illegal immigrant - including for churches - and for businesses to knowingly employ illegal immigrants. These unfair laws can result in many problems.
If police simply “suspect” one may be an illegal immigrant, they are permitted to check their status. That can cause problems of racism - they may pull over many people who are not in the country illegally. For example, many illegal immigrants are from Mexico. If police encounter a person who is Mexican, they many force them to prove that they are in the country legally. That is racist and unjust. Innocent people who are in the country legally may have to suffer from these unfair laws.
Another potential problem is that it is illegal for one to transport or house illegal immigrants. What if an illegal immigrant was lost, injured, or in danger, and someone was there, capable of helping them. By helping them, they would be going against the law, and could be penalized for it. Illegal immigrants are still human beings and that is completely unfair that they may not receive help in situations such as those. One cannot just simply let on the side of the road and die just because they are an illegal immigrant. Also, what if a person does not know that they are transporting or housing illegal immigrants - will they be penalized for being innocent?
Although illegal immigration is a problem in the U.S., this law, the law in Arizona, and other similar laws are unconstitutional. This is not the way to solve the problem of illegal immigration, as it degrades certain populations of people.
No comments:
Post a Comment