Nativism, immigration and the Latinization of America

Introduction In April 2010, the state of enacted an immigration bill viewed as draconian by many Americans. The law, known as SB 1070, makes it a state crime to be in the U.S. without proper documents. It allows the police to stop anyone on reasonable suspicion that they may be in the country unlawfully and arrest them on the spot if they can't produce identity papers. (2) Traditionally the federal government has enforced immigration laws, so this is an extraordinary step taken by the state. The proponents of this law argue that the number of undocumented immigrants, or 'illegals as they are known, is too high due to failure by the federal government to control immigration. Illegals are contributing to crime in the state, straining the country's social services capability, and threatening both the personal lives of citizens and the security of this nation. The law is the state's response to this threat and is aimed at bringing some law and order to the area. (3) Local, state and national political leaders as well as grassroots, civil rights organizations, and a host of citizen groups have taken positions in support of or in opposition to this bill. Liberal groups on the left fear that this law will lead to racial profiling of Mexican immigrants in particular and of Latinos in general because the vast majority of undocumented immigrants come from Mexico. (4) Conservative groups on the right, especially the state's political leaders, refute these charges and argue that this measure is necessary in order to protect the border and to halt immigration. President Obama also got involved by publicly opposing the law and filing suit to overturn it. (5) Legislators are not the only ones engaged in immigrant bashing in Arizona. County sheriffs and local citizen groups are also taking action against undocumented immigrants. For example, County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, an elected official in Maricopa County, Arizona, has conducted a vicious campaign against those crossing the Mexican border illegally, denied them their human and constitutional rights, and treated them harshly. Although he calls himself the toughest sheriff in Arizona the New York Times called him America's worst sheriff'. (6) Sheriff Paul Babeu from Pinal County, Arizona, similar to Arpaio, has cracked down on illegal immigrants and appeared on a variety of white nationalists programs to condemn these individuals for increasing local crime and for threatening national security. (7) Not to be outdone by county sheriffs, local citizens have established several nativist organizations and engaged in vigilante efforts aimed at patrolling the US-Mexico border and making citizens' arrests of undocumented immigrants. Among the most prominent was The Minutemen, a border watch group formed in 2005. Its purpose was to stop undocumented immigrants from crossing a 23 mile stretch of the Mexican border in the southern part of Arizona. The group's intent was to track undocumented immigrants and to report them to the Border Patrol so they could be picked up. In 2010, the group shifted its emphasis to capturing immigrants and drug smugglers instead of just reporting them. But soon thereafter the group quickly disbanded. Its leaders did not want to shoulder the responsibility and liability of potential violence against immigrants by its members and so they shut down their operation. (8) Arizona, I might note, is not the only state engaged in this controversy. Other states and cities have experienced similar outbursts against undocumented immigrants. In Nebraska, Texas, and Pennsylvania, several municipalities enacted city ordinances against the renting of property or hiring of undocumented immigrants. In Washington State, voters took a position on a ballot initiative known as I-1056, which would, among other things, deny social services and driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants. California enacted a series of propositions denying undocumented immigrants social services and public education in a language other than English. …