Arizona law in line with Constitution

Published 4:16 pm Monday, May 10, 2010

I must heartily disagree with the May 4 letter in opposition to the new Arizona illegal immigration law. (“Law is a crime against humanity.”)

Has the author even read the law? I have. Maybe before aspersing it, critics should actually find out what’s in it.

The law in no way “intrudes” on federal jurisdiction. The only way it could is if it authorized state and local authorities to perform acts that the U.S. Constitution prohibits them from performing. If you read the Constitution, it does not.

The author accuses the law of being in violation of multiple amendments of the U.S. Constitution. I don’t understand what “Supreme Court decision” the author was referring to, but the first section of the 14th Amendment specifically addresses citizens. The Constitution nowhere addresses the “rights” of illegal aliens because the Constitution was written to address the workings of the American government and the relationship between the government and its citizens.

The idea that the law legalizes racial profiling, gives police unchecked powers, and criminalizes being Hispanic is a blatant lie.

We are indeed the land of the free and the home of the brave. Justice should indeed be for all. In this case, justice should mean that people who break the laws of this nation should bear the legal consequences of their actions instead of forcing us taxpayers to bear the brunt of the cost of their crimes. Bravo, Arizona. May the federal government and the rest of the states have the courage to do what you have done.

Peter Scougale

Everett