Opinion

Arizona immigration bill a wake-up call for America

Heather Bachman Contributor
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There is a highly ignored fact of life our nation likes to ignore: America holds many people who we don’t have any knowledge about. People walk among us, almost as invisible as the wind, with no identification cards, numbers or notice of their existence. This is as much a danger as our overseas enemies because they do not need any powerful weapons to destruct; they are in our own backyard.

As a nation, we have a right to demand the identification of every human that calls America home. Further, being in a time of war means we should formally and strongly insist even further that every man, woman and child is accounted for and known about.

One action toward this need is an Arizona bill known as SB 1070. Through the most major avenues of illegal immigration from transporting to employing, this bill is literally a blanket covering all aspects whose holes threaten our security and safety.

Of course, recently much protest has resulted regarding this legislation which would among other things require immigrants to show identification when requesting work and begins to evade day laborers’ abilities.

Despite any revolt, one thing is certain: At least now we are starting to discuss this issue. Fully examined, many can see SB 1070 as nothing more than an ability to ensure the right identification is obtained and used by our nation’s inhabitants. Further, this states from the beginning it is to ensure pre-existing laws regarding immigration are strengthened and enforced in addition to the new laws it enacts.

Many needed abilities are withheld in this legislation. Not only does it open lines of communication regarding state officials and governmental agencies, but also requires illegal aliens who break laws to be punished to the furthest extent by every law enforcement organization including Customs Enforcement or ICE.

Despite the description of this being no more than a knee-jerk reaction to the brutal murder of rancher Robert Krentz, with an increasingly anti-border president, we have seen more that the issue of illegal aliens has to fall on the states; especially those who lie on the borders. The Arizona-Mexico border has been a risk to the nation and has even gone as far as to be called “out of control” by organizations such as the Arizona Cattleman’s Association. Reaction to the highest extent is required and hence this bill was created.

If anything, it revamps a sector of society that should be discussed about more: Illegal aliens. It restricts the ability to enter our country illegally, a regulation already on the books and has and will continue to be legally enforced by law. Immigration is one of the pillars to this nation. However, we do have the right to know who is calling our land home.

Heather Bachman is a political commentator and broadcaster and a New Jersey native.