I Can See Mexico From My House: Why I Support SB 1070

My name is Danielle Adriana Chavez. I grew up in south Texas on the border with Matamoros, Tamaulipas. I can actually see Mexico from my house. I am Hispanic of Mexican and Spanish origin, and I support SB 1070.

Before you assume I'm a crazy racist and start shouting insults at me from the other side of the computer screen, read my argument for supporting the law.

I am Hispanic. My dad's side of the family all immigrated here-legally-at one point or another. I am of Israeli heritage, Jewish on my mother's side of the family. My grandmother immigrated to the United States mere decades ago when she was near my age. She came to this country legally. I am a child of extremely mixed heritage. I am anything but racist. My family came over here legally. Everyone else's should too.

SB 1070 is not about targeting Hispanics or Jews or Filipinos or any one specific ethnic group. SB 1070 is about enforcing the idea that illegal immigration is just that: illegal.

For those of you that do not support SB 1070, have you actually read it?

"Requires a reasonable attempt to be made to determine the immigration status of a person during any legitimate contact made by an official or agency of the state or a county, city, town or political subdivision (political subdivision) if reasonable suspicion exists that the person is an alien who is unlawfully present in the U.S."

One can only assume that "legitimate contact" refers to being pulled over or stopped by the police for already doing something illegal. And reasonable suspicion probably refers to, oh, failure to provide valid identification...?

No one is going to get stopped on the street for "looking Hispanic" or speaking Spanish.

And if I wake up tomorrow and do get stopped on the street and asked to show my ID, I will be more than happy to oblige. As a citizen and a reaper of the benefits of this country, it is my responsibility to follow the laws enacted by state and federal legislatures. When you travel into Mexico, you are required to show your passport. Why should we not require identification when tables are turned the other way around?

I also feel the need to rebuttal against some of the ridiculous comments I've heard since the bill has passed.

"Hitler required people that looked Jewish to show their documents. We're going to become Nazi Germany!!!"

My family was IN the Holocaust. In fact, I am missing chunks of my family tree because of that horrific event. The difference between my ancestors and illegal aliens is that my great great grandparents were legal residents of the countries they occupied. No one is insisting on a search on anyone with a Hispanic last name or brown skin.

"Don't speak Spanish! You'll get arrested!"

What do you think an illegal immigrant is? I was particularly offended by this comment because an entire side of my family speaks Spanish on a regular basis. My father's first language was Spanish. Spanish is a well-known language in this country. Comments such as this one are more racist than the actual bill-not that the bill is racist.

And nowhere in the bill can the words "Hispanic," "Latino," "Chicano," "Spanish," or "Mexican" be found. So tell me, why does everyone assume only Hispanics will be targeted?

As a resident of a border town in deep south Texas, I have seen immigration first-hand--both legal and illegal. I witnessed close friends being notified that their paperwork finally went through and they were now citizens of our great nation. Watching someone gain citizenship into this country is a beautiful thing to experience. I have heard stories from Mexican immigrants who have said they would never even consider dual-citizenship because their heart and their allegiance belongs to the United States and the United States only.

I have also seen my friends' cleaning ladies disappeared week after week after not being able to re-enter the country, and I have seen hoards of students denied funding for college because, despite their lack of financial security, they were never properly documented and therefore, ineligible for financial aid.

I have also grownup hearing and reading stories about mothers coming over from Mexico just to have all their children on American soil-making these "anchor babies" eligible for all the benefits that are paid for by citizens' tax dollars. Mothers feed off of their children's benefits and live in fear of being deported.

Enforcing immigration laws isn't about racial profiling or kicking out people whose paperwork didn't go through the system. Enforcing immigration laws is about keeping people safe.

In addition to stories about cleaning ladies, lack of college funding, and anchor babies, I cannot even estimate the number of news stories I have seen and read that show just why being a legal citizen of this country is so necessary.

Years ago, I was watching our local evening news. A family appeared on the screen with their faces blurred out. One of the women was holding a little girl in her arms and appeared distressed. The translation given by the reporter said that the family had lost their other little girl. Because they were undocumented immigrants, they could not go to the police for help.

Because this family had not sent in their paperwork and legally immigrated into the county, they were missing a child-a baby girl-and could not ask the authorities for help for fear of being deported.

SB 1070 should send a positive message out to the citizens of our nation, as well as the rest of the world. Immigrating to this country legally is important. Immigrate legally and you can reap all the benefits of this great country.

Other nations in the world require passports for entry. In fact, people argued FOR the health care bill because "all the other countries are doing it." All the other countries, I'm sure, support legal immigration and frown upon entering their borders without the proper documentation-so why not support this law if "all the other countries are doing it" as well?

I do support further immigration reform. It should be easier to immigrate into this country legally, but using difficulty as an excuse to trespassing America's borders doesn't cut it.

Enforcing the idea that all citizens and residents of this country be documented ensures that everyone's wants and needs are accounted for. Being a legal immigrant and a citizen of this country guarantees you a vote and a voice in our nation. Isn't this something that everyone in America should strive for? Isn't this what makes us the great democracy the rest of the world sees us as?

I am a loud and proud Latina, but if mis padres came here legally, so can yours.

Comments

Just because many illegal aliens happen to come from Mexico does NOT mean this bill is targeted towards them. There are illegals from ALL OVER. Nowhere in this bill does it say anything discriminatory. How come all of you saying "This targets only Hispanics" can't point out the exact sentence in the bill that says just that???<br> There was a story in the news about a family from Australia (YES AUSTRALIA...a schoolboy who punched his classmate and then his mother and him was rewarded citizenship.. look it up, it was in SF). There are ALSO many illegal polish, chinese, vietnamese, colombians, etc. They must ALL go. No matter what. <br>This is crazy... I myself am an immigrant from another country (and I am not white BTW) and I am seeing a lack of common sense. How come every country can protect itself but America? (example, Italy has an illegal immigrant problem and they decided to do something about it) Here, if we enforce a common sense law we are called racists. Puh-leeze. Show me a country like ours where you can arrive illegally and receive services and still protest and call the country racists.. <br>It would be lovely if we could take EVERY SINGLE PERSON into our country but it is NOT POSSIBLE. We have to enforce our laws and have the immigrants arrive in an orderly fashion. 

How does this law support profiling? Somebody point out the profiling in this bill. This is ridiculous. 

Danielle,

As someone who grew up in Donna, between Weslaco and Alamo if you aren't familiar with my little town, I appreciated reading your comments.  And you made some points that I think are important.  However, as this new law is put into practice, I'm afraid that we will indeed see abuses that put the Hispanic population, legal or illegal, at risk.  I also worry that there will be an increase in hate crimes against Hispanics or anyone appearing to be Hispanic.  That has been the history of our communities when legislation of this sort is even debated, much less passed.  I understand that you would be ready and willing to provide your documentation.  But if you were living in a place where it happened not once, but a few times, where you were delayed in your daily business because someone wanted to make absolutely sure that you were legal and had suitable proof, if your teenage children were regularly stopped and asked to provide proof, you might begin to feel less than a full citizen of this country.  And that should never happen.  My background is English, Irish, and Dutch.  My family was lucky enough to get here before quotas and limits on immigration.  How can we shut the door and say to new immigrants that we're full and don't want them anymore?  Okay, I'm starting to go on too long here.  I do appreciate your comments, but I absolutely believe that this new law violates the letter and spirit of our constitution and will necessarily involve civil rights violations. 

Good article Danielle,
As one who also lives in the RGV, I concur with you. This 'racist' talk is way out of hand. The hate directed at anyone who would follow the rule of law is not surprising. I have heard the rumbling in America and it isn't from those who wish to usurp the law, but those who want to uphold it. The millions who immigranted here legally, those with parents or other ancestry who did, the time and hardships they went through because they believed in the laws of these United States and wished to live among them, are now being slapped in the face by the citizenry who either take for granted those laws, or like the invaders, wish to destroy those rules. My ancestors fought with George Washington. Through the years they helped build and defend America from her enemies. They were here 80 years before there was a US, does that make them, or me, any more entitled to her lands or wealth? No. We follow the laws, respecting our police officers. We work for what we have. We pay our bills and mortgage on time, and we donate to charitable causes not by gov. mandate, but because we wish to as Christ asked us to do. Those who wish to see or live in lawlessness are those blinded by the lawless one. Never be of that kind. Always keep your eyes open and remember what Christ says, they reviled Me, therefore they will do the same to you, and for some of you, even worse. Life is not easy, no matter where you live, only you have the power to make it better. For those who have run away from thier country seeking greener pastures, they will do so again, run from thier greener pastures when such a tittle of oppression or hardship comes again. We have seen the numbers, how so many have left already because they could not find work, or find the welcome they expected, what will be the course of the rest? As America continues to break under the weight of entitlements and government bureaucracy, will they dash off for the next country which promises easy money and special considerations, or will they stay to defend the land which has been so generous and obliging to them? These are not those who we can trust to live in peace and abide by the laws of the land. Phoenix had 269 kidnappings last year, and 299 in '08. Out of 365 days, that is about 1 every 36 hours. Border states have a larger percentage of crime, why do you think that is?

Ok, by now many changes have been made to the original SB1070. Even with these changes, people are still hung up on the "racial profiling" idea. You tell me how they could word it that will stop people from crying "racial profiling" all the time. You know what, they can't. The reason is that people have stopped watching the news and reading the papers. It's kind of hard to have legitimate mature conversations with those against the bill when they won't shut up long enough to listen to what is being said. I have a feeling none of them will be happy until the magic word "amnesty" is said. Only then will these protesters shut up.

I also wonder, if you and your protesting crybabies would be okay with this policy in the bill. What if your id and everyone eles's id was checked during a routine traffic stop for speeding or reckless driving? Police do this now in all the other states, so what makes this any different in AZ? This is the policy that they have now adopted that removes all forms of racial profiling.  Can you argue with that? Seriously, anyone involved with the law will have their id checked. Looks pretty anti-racial to me.

Additionally, I feel bad that other areas of the world are not so "grand" as the US but that doesn't mean we are the world's doorstep. How can this country continue being so "grand" if illegals are have a detrimental effect on jobs, state funds, school systems, etc...? What gives? What is the solution in your opinion. Oh and amnesty just makes breaking the law a rewarding practice.  

Danielle,

I get the feeling that you would sing a different tune if this law were passed in your town and you started feeling the effects of this law in practice.  I imiagine that you feel this way because you are not a brown Latina.  You may think you are a loud and proud Latina but I can assure you that the rest of us consider you a disgrace.  I feel sorry for you.

Maria, a brown and proud Latina

She wouldn't sing a different tune, actually.  She lived here a decent amount of time.

Do you remember civics class in high school? I remember clearly the often repeated mantra “No one is above the law, not even the President!” That is what is meant by a nation of law, not of men. But that is a rule that we have allowed to slip away.

If we are going to live under the rule of law, we have to obey the law — all of it. If we chose to follow some laws and ignore others, then law no longer has any authority. That is, to me, the whole problem of illegal immigration. We have a very clear set of laws about immigration. They are clearly written and easy to understand. If you enter the United States without proper documentation, you are violating the law. And if you are allowed to stay, then the law becomes meaningless.

Other countries rigidly enforce their immigration laws. Remember last year when two young reporters slipped into North Korea illegally? They were treated harshly, and it took a special delegation of powerful Americans to get them out. Right now, three young Americans are sitting in cells in Iran because they strayed across the border while hiking.

Mexico has very tough immigration laws. Illegal immigration there is a felony, punishable by up to two years in prison. If you are deported and attempt to re-enter Mexico you can be imprisoned for 10 years. Violating the terms of your Visa can get you a sentence of up to six years. Mexicans who help illegal immigrants are considered criminals.

So why are we in such an uproar because Arizona wants to enforce immigration laws in their state? Let me say it again: Illegal immigration into the United States is a criminal act. Allowing it to go unpunished is a direct insult to the rule of law.

Now if the law is unfair, or in some other way unacceptable, then it is the duty of our lawmakers to change it. But until they do, the law is the law and needs to be enforced.

Arizona has every right, even a responsibility, to enforce all federal, state and local laws within its border. That is especially true when the federal government has abandoned its responsibility. People in Arizona are being kidnapped, assaulted, even killed by illegals crossing the border from Mexico.

Authorities there have a responsibility to investigate all people who might be violating our laws. If that causes some people who are here legally to be inconvenienced, I am sorry. But it is a necessity. Their best response is to provide all assistance to the authorities in detecting and arresting illegals in their communities. Their safety is just as much at risk as anyone else

Great job Danielle, I and my wife are like you, hispanic and Jewish, and we also support AZ SB 1070, for many of the same reasons you listed.  It is amazing to me how people overlook the horrible conditions that people who are illegal live in here and how ridiculous it is to use the immigration process as an excuse to let people live like that.  It is also exploitation by the left to use Latinos as the face of victimhood concerning immigration, especially when many of the Latinos I know are legally citizens here or legal immigrants.  Buen escribiendo and Yevarekh Otkha HaShem both to you!

I wrote up a response to this and against the sb 1070 bill. I believe your points are valid and well thought out; however, I disagree with you and have presented my rebuttal on my own blog @ http://arizona-news.blogspot.com/2010/07/sb-1070-goes-to-court-immigrati...

Check it out if you wish, but your name and this blog are mentioned specifically in it.

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