Standstill

While the political debate at the nation's capital has hit a standstill on immigration reform, it appears as if the local ramifications in the immigration reform hot-spot of Arizona as well as a few other states have drastically increased.

According to the New York Daily News, a few other states are considering adopting similar immigration reform like that recently passed in Arizona. Minnesota, Maryland, North Carolina, Texas, Missouri, Nebraska, Utah and Idaho are all considering more stringent reforms based on the legislature passed in Arizona. Rep. Randy Terrill of Oklahoma said that he'd even like to see his state adopt even stricter laws than those passed in Arizona, especially with regard to illegal immigrants who are caught with firearms. "The state has to act because the federal government has refused to enforce our nation's borders and turned every state into a border state," he told the Washington Times. However, as most state's legislature sessions end June 1st, it is unlikely that any further state legislature will be passed this year.

In the state of Arizona, both the economy of larger businesses, as well as its small Latino businesses have taken a hit from the immigration reform, even though the reform has yet to take effect. According to Reuters, small-town Latino focused businesses are suddenly facing a lack of income due to the scarcity of their customers. Pinata stores, cafes, and especially those businesses focused on migrant clientele are seeing steep declines in business because so many of their customers are either leaving town (to go to Mexico or other states), or because they're laying low to avoid being profiled and caught by police. On a larger scale, according to another New York Daily News article, the city of Phoenix alone could lose up to $90 million because of boycotts to Arizona forged by protesters and because of cancellations of conferences and events by organizations fearing lack of attendance by Latino individuals.

Rather than focusing on the economy, some citizens are focused on making sure the fear of racial profiling is kept in check. Margarito Blanco films an S-10 truck that was parked at Circle K gas station in Phoenix , Arizona on Tuesday night around 8pm (April 29th). Margarito Blanco and Andrew Sanchez are not cops they just watch for police that are racial profilers. Sanchez had explained that with the new law in effect, it gives the police department any reason to investigate someone if they believe they are illegal or a threat. When the bill takes affect in August, aliens must carry all documents that they are legal and any illegal immigrant who tries to live in or travel through Arizona to get to another area will be committing a crime. Since 2008, Maricopa County Sheriff's Department has staged 15 street patrol operations targeting areas suspected to have high concentrations of crime related to illegal immigration. A man named Joe Arapio announces each operation with a press release and a news conference just a few hours before the police hit the streets to do the job. Arapio is very well-liked because of his idea of "cop watchers," now that the law has been passed his ideas can be in the spotlight because it is not illegal activity anymore. "We will not be deterred, and we will be extra vigilant with an eye toward officer safety. Lots of people are angry right now which translates to more danger for cops" Arapio said after a press release. After the press release, 93 arrests were made, and 63 of those arrests were thought to be illegal immigrants. Going back to the night that Sanchez and Blanco were watching people being racially profiled by policemen, after the cop had left, they would go over and ask them questions like why they were pulled over, what they said, etc. The man had looked nervous because he had a felony warrant, but since the warrant was not an extraditable offense, the officer had decided to let him go. Lt. Lee, the officer who had pulled the man over had said that racial profiling is taken very seriously and that the driver did not call in the stop. "We don't back off because we don't feel we're doing anything wrong. We act professionally, we follow the law," he said. "It would be silly for us to engage in this type of activity when we've invited the media and let the public know what we're doing." Racial profiling affects a lot of people and the new law passed makes it easier for aliens to be harassed even if they are not doing any harm. This law affects many families and according to Sanchez needs to be put under control.

Clearly, it continues to be a battle over who will come out ahead in this reform, but for now, all we can hope for is that the interim between total reform and the present day can transition without many fireworks.