Racial Profiling?

I don’t know why this is bothering me, but it is. The more I think about it, the more irate I become. In regards to Arizona’s immigration law, that allows law enforcement to question a person based on the color of their skin if they are a citizen or not, is in my opinion racial profiling. Yes, I know that the police have to have “reasonable suspicion” in order to question, but this is a flawed system. This reminds me of the time during the great depression when Mexicans , living in California, were rounded up and shipped back to Mexico. The law was intended to ship back immigrants and instead they also shipped back Mexican Americans as well just because they looked like the immigrants. It was a flawed system then and it’s a flawed system now. Those that are questioned have the burden of proof on their shoulders and will be detained until they can proof whether or not they are US citizens. My Mother was a victim of such profiling. While she was at work, there was an INS raid and both she and her coworkers were rounded up and detained until she could prove that she was a US citizen. My sister had to go up to her job site with proof before they would release her. That really pissed me off. We laughed it off and still do today, but then again what could we have done or said to have made a difference. This was “Big Brother” doing their job and it was their right to do so legally. This is a failed attempt by a state to “do something” about immigration because the nation as a whole has not, and even though the law is meant to help that state with their illegal immigration problem, it targets a group of people as a whole and it will lead to increased racism against Mexicans as a whole. I do believe that we have an illegal immigration problem, but trying to fix it with profiling is not the answer. What is the answer? I don’t know, nor do I claim to know, but one thing I do know is that this law is far from perfect and it will create bigger problems in the long run. I end with a quote by the NBA:

“The recent passage of the new immigration law in Arizona is disappointing and disturbing. The National Basketball Players Association strongly supports the repeal or immediate modification of this legislation. Any attempt to encourage, tolerate or legalize racial profiling is offensive and incompatible with basic notions of fairness and equal protection. A law that unfairly targets one group is ultimately a threat to all.”