On Saturday, MSNBC posted an article about the new immigration law just passed in Arizona.  The article states:

“It also requires local police officers to question people about their immigration status if there is reason to suspect they are illegal immigrants; allows lawsuits against government agencies that hinder enforcement of immigration laws; and makes it illegal to hire illegal immigrants for day labor or knowingly transport them.

“The law sends “a clear message that Arizona is unfriendly to undocumented aliens,” said Peter Spiro, a Temple University law professor and author of the book “Beyond Citizenship: American Identity After Globalization.””

This is ridiculous.  Why shouldn’t Arizona be unfriendly to undocumented (illegal) aliens?  What part of illegal does Professor Spiro not understand?  Is illegal only illegal if he says so?

One of the arguments against the new bill is that it requires legal aliens (or recent citizens) to have their identification papers on them at all times.  Supposedly that is the beginning of a totalitarian state.  Well, wait a minute.  This is a link to A Guide for New Immigrants put out by the United States government.  On page 8 of this guide is the statement:

As a permanent resident, it is your responsibility to:

Carry proof of your permanent resident status at all times.

This is directly copied from the New Immigrants guide:

Permanent residents are issued a valid Permanent Resident

Card (Form I-551) as proof of their legal status in

the United States. Some people call this a “Green Card.”

If you are a permanent resident who is 18 years or

older, you must carry proof of your immigration status.

You must show it to an immigration officer if asked for

it.Your card is valid for 10 years and must be renewed

before it expires.You should file Form I-90 to replace or

renew your Permanent Resident Card.You can get this

form at http://www.uscis.gov or by calling the USCIS

Forms Line. There is a fee to file Form I-90.

I think we need to enforce our own laws.