Student Stills

Staff Editorial: New law promotes racial inequality

On April 23, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed Senate Bill 1070 into law. The bill requires that police detain any person suspected of being illegally in the state of Arizona.

A week later the law was modified to state that police could only detain an individual and question them about their alien status while the were committing another offense, such as speeding, or loitering. SB 1070 also says illegal immigrants cannot be present “on public or private land in the state” or be traveling through the state of Arizona.

That is the biggest insult to human rights since separate but equal was said to be legal. This law is a slap in the face to the civil rights marches of the 1960s. The people who are immigrating to the United States are doing it for one of three main reasons: to make a better future for themselves and their families, to escape persecution from their homeland or to start a new life, whether through education or marriage.

The Arizona government is telling these immigrants that it doesn’t matter why they fled their country. It is not important to them that they left behind all they knew, possibly leaving behind family members so they can work jobs that we don’t want to do... Full story