In the hours leading up to the signing of Senate Bill 1070, thousands rallied at the Arizona Capitol in protest of the law that would encourage unchecked racial profiling of anyone "suspected" of being undocumented.
AZ Governor Jan Brewer didn't see what all the fuss was about.
"I believe that they are overreacting," she said of the protesters.
As the large crowd of Arizona voters, youth, and community activists chanted "Shame on you" outside the bill signing announcement this afternoon, Gov. Brewer did her best to assuage widespread concern that this legislation gives racial profiling the force of law and institutionalizes racism. In response to a reporter asking request for her to "please explain what criteria will be used to determine if someone is an illegal immigrant," Brewer admitted that she "[does] not know what an illegal immigrant looks like."
Watch:
Brewer hastily followed up her comment by saying she is sure we can trust that "the law will be enforced civilly, fairly and without discriminatory points to it." Riiiight.
So essentially, we have a Governor saying it's okay for cops--and citizens, for that matter--to profile people based on "reasonable suspicion" they could be undocumented, when she herself doesn't know what that looks like. Main sponsor of SB 1070 AZ Senator Russell Pearce isn't playing quite as dumb:
"Ninety percent of the illegal aliens in Arizona come from south of the border, so it [appearance] certainly may be a factor."
While it's all well and good for Gov. Brewer to declare that racial profiling is "illegal" and "will not be tolerated," you and I know that this bill relies on racial profiling to target people of color and immigrant communities. And, based on her comments at today's bill signing--Governor Brewer knows it too.
As the harshest enforcement bill in the country against undocumented immigrants is signed into law, we think Gov. Brewer should understand Americans' concerns about this legislation, which will lead to the kind of racial profiling our country left behind long ago and that has been struck down by the courts in other states.
