Proposition 187 of California and SB 1070 of Arizona
As we all know, Proposition 187 was passed “by the people” and so gained a sense of political legitimacy recognized as the American democratic way. This was explicitly mentioned in the text such as “We the people,” and “We the Californians.” Unlike Huntington’s assertions, authors of Proposition 187 maintained its racial neutrality and political legitimacy by claiming that the initiative was about illegal aliens, not about any specific ethnic group. Was Proposition 187 really “race-neutral”? Why couldn’t Californians decide “Californian matters”? Given the influx of Mexicans (both legal and illegal), is our nation going to transform ultimately “into two peoples with two cultures (Anglo and Hispanic) and two languages (English and Spanish)”? By the way, what is the official language of the United States? Read this article, to begin with.
In many respects, Proposition 187 has worked as a foundation of another controversial immigration bill: Arizona’s SB 1070: click here to read the text of this bill. This bill was passed in 2010 but partially struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2012. I said “partially” because the Court upheld the most hotly disputed part of SB 1070: requiring police to determine the immigration status of someone arrested or detained when there is reasonable suspicion they are not in the U.S. legally. How is this “reasonable suspicion” not linked to “racial profiling”?
Finally, read this NPR article: click here. What do you think? Was SB 1070 driven by self-interest of the private prison industry?
