There are a lot of people bally-whooing that Arizona’s brave new anti-illegal immigration measure will result in profiling. Well good. We need more profiling. And it’s about time to drop the politically correct nonsense and embrace the fact that profiling helps to protect us as individuals and as a society.
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Profiling is the act of using specific characteristics to make generalizations about a person in a specific situation. If people are honest with themselves, each and every one of us profiles people all day long. It’s one of the ways that we stay safe and protect our families. And politically correct or not, we expect the police to do the same thing to protect our community.
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But let’s not get things confused here. Profiling is not about singling out a specific race or sex or religion or age or any other characteristic. It is about keeping aware of surroundings and looking for behaviors which don’t belong in a particular situation. The problem is that people seem to confuse “right” (as in “it’s my right” to do this or that) with “should” and then scream that they are being singled out because of their race, religion, sex etc. instead of accepting the fact that they are being singled out because of their actions.
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As a parent, if I notice a guy hanging out around the kiddie playground, who doesn’t have a child or other legitimate reason for being there, I make an assumption. Because men that engage in that behavior are more likely to be pedophiles, I have “profiled” his behavior and determined that he could be a danger. I expect the police to find out who he is and why he is hanging out at the playground. Does the guy have the “right” to hang out at the kiddie playground? Yes. “Should” he? Not unless he wants the negative attention.
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If I am slowly driving down a street known for having a bunch of crack houses, the police will pull me over. They look at my behavior and assume that I may be in the area to buy drugs. They are “profiling” me based on my actions. Do I have the “right” to drive slowly down a street of crack houses? Sure. Maybe I’m lost. Maybe I’m looking at investment property. But “should” I drive slowly down crack house lane? Not unless I want to earn the potential repercussions.
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Now media outlets are claiming that Hispanics are fearful of being profiled, thanks to the new law in Arizona which would give the police the ability to verify the legal status. This is ridiculous. Hispanics, just like everyone else, will be profiled IF they are engaging in illegal or suspicious behavior. Good. That is exactly how it should be. The new law doesn’t suggest that the police will be trolling neighborhoods, stopping anyone with dark hair. It simply says that the police have the right to ascertain legal status when investigation is warranted.
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How is this oppressive? As a driver, I know that I have to have my driver’s license with me when I am in the car. If I don’t carry it and I get pulled over, I can land in jail. So, I carry my license. In an area of the country where violence is being perpetrated largely by people who are here illegally, it is completely reasonable for police to seek proof of citizenship from those who are in high crime areas, are hanging out in places populated by illegals, or engaging in illegal activity. The goal is not to detain people who can show that they are legal citizens, it is to quickly weed out the people who have the legal right to be here from those who do not.
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Arizona is under siege from illegals coming from Mexico and South America. Entering the country illegally is….shock….ILEGAL. Once here, a disproportionate number of these criminals engage in additional crime. Some of this crime is against individuals and businesses in the form of assaults, robbery, drugs, and murder. Lots of crime is against tax payers and society as a whole in the form of welfare, medical and educational expenses and additional social services. Until all citizens, but especially Hispanics, refuse to harbor, employ, and support illegals, they will continue to come into our country, breaking the law and devastating our communities and our economy.
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There is no denying that LEGAL immigrants contribute in important ways to every aspect of society. But there is no place in this country for illegal immigrants. We must use every means at our disposal to repel illegals at the border as well as create an environment that is so hostile as to stop them breaking into our country.
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