Wednesday April 28, 2010
Arizona has a duty to secure its borders

It is legal and sensible for police to ask people to identify themselves

THE state of Arizona has decided for its own safety to have its own police enforce federal immigration laws that Washington has chosen to ignore.

A violent drug war in Mexico has spilled north of the border, and Arizona has had enough.

"We cannot sacrifice our safety to the murderous greed of drug cartels," said Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer in signing the measure into law. "We cannot stand idly by as drophouses, kidnapping and violence compromise our quality of life."

The law makes it a state crime to be in the nation illegally. The state law also requires local law enforcement officials to enforce federal immigration laws.

Arizona officials may ask people to show identification to prove they are in the United States legally. The law also targets employers who hire illegal immigrants.

Arizona's decision to enforce the law has its critics. Many businesses rely on illegal immigration for cheap labor.

But Arizona is putting the public's safety first.

The law does have its dangers. There is some potential for citizens and legal immigrants to be harassed. But there are avenues to redress police abuse.

Right now, failure to enforce the law is unfair to those who abide by immigration laws.

Every year, thousands of legal immigrants who have waited for years and studied hard swear allegiance to this great land. Ignoring the illegal immigration problem devalues their efforts and their honesty.

The first duty of Gov. Brewer and the Arizona legislature is to ensure public safety. That is what they are doing.

http://www.dailymail.com/Opinion/Editor ... 1004270918