In an ongoing trend in local and national government, politicians are voting in a manner that their constituents do not favor. They appear to abide by a new political correctness; “we know better than you what the rules should be.”
First voters watched their lawmakers defy their wishes on health care and now local municipalities are addressing Arizona’s illegal immigration policy. The city of San Diego is the latest city voting to send a resolution to Arizona’s Governor Jan Brewer to repeal the new immigration legislation she signed into law.
In a stunning turn of politics the San Diego City Council decided they knew better than the wants of its residents and in a 7-1 vote they abdicated Arizona.
A Channel 10 News poll found the majority of San Diegans support Arizona’s new law, 51 percent favor it while 33 percent oppose and 15 percent do not care. On the local radio Rick Robert’s show approximately 97 percent agree with Arizona’s tough new legislation and only three percent do not.
Now that immigration is front and center on the television screen many who do not know what Mexico’s illegal immigration policy can now read closely. First illegal immigration is a felony punishable by up to two years in Mexican prison and if you attempt to re-enter the country law-breakers can expect up to 10 years in jail.
Mexico will deport foreigners it deems detrimental to their economic livelihood, who is not healthy and anyone who can’t take care of themselves, according to the Washington Times.
San Diego Council President Ben Hueso, who wanted the resolution, says he supports immigration reform and protecting the nation's border, but said Arizona's law as detrimental to national unity.
“This law threatens to divide our union,” said Hueso. “I believe it violates the Constitution. It victimizes legal residents as well as those who are here in the country illegally. And, it discourages the victims of crimes in the immigrant community to access justice.”
The lone dissenting vote came from Councilman Carl DeMaio, who didn’t blame Arizona from wanting to protect its residents from an illegal immigrant invasion, many of whom have criminal backgrounds or ties to the Mexican drug cartels.
“I cannot support the resolution as introduced, as it does not accurately reflect the Arizona state law as amended under HB 2162,'' DeMaio explained. “Moreover, the resolution as introduced fails to call the federal government to task for its failure to secure our nation's borders.”
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed the Senate Bill into law on April 23, and it makes it illegal to be in the state without acceptable identification and it authorizes local law enforcement to investigate a person's immigration status during other routine law enforcement activities.
Brewer says she will “not tolerate racial discrimination or racial profiling in Arizona.”
On Friday, the governor signed an amendment to the original bill, which will bar race from being considered when inquiring about legal status.
“These new amendments make it crystal clear and undeniable that racial profiling is illegal and will not be tolerated in Arizona,'' Brewer said.
However, Councilwoman Marti Emerald said the amendment is nothing more than a facade.
“In my mind, this house bill is a smokescreen by people who really do support racial profiling, and it would be totally unnecessary if the Arizona state government would repeal 1070,” Emerald said.
In a Rasmussen Poll taken last week said, 70 percent of Arizonans favor the tough new law as a way to rein in the crime the state is succumbing to on a daily basis.
San Diego Police Chief William Lansdowne said he does not agree with the new Arizona law and felt it would lead the community to distrust law enforcement community and could lead to racial profiling.
“If we change that policy, it would be my belief that the community would no longer trust us and they would not report those crimes and we would not be able to adequately and effectively police the city of San Diego,'' says Lansdowne.
However, many law enforcement agencies in Arizona favor the new law and hope it will discourage future illegal immigrants from crossing the border illegally and staying in a state that is over burdened with financially strained public service programs.
San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders said in a statement that he would sign the City Council resolution.
“It's not the job of our police department to solve the federal government's immigration problem,'' Sanders said. “As a former police chief, I know what we ask of our officers every day with our limited city resources, and their first priority is to protect our citizens.''
In true Tea Party fashion groups have began email blasts to American’s calling for a national Arizona ‘buy-cott.’
“Starting May 5th, we are officially kicking off an on-going Arizona buy-cott to support Arizona bases corporations, local businesses, on-line retailers, and tourism. Our site will list a sampling of the great companies you can support...and there is something for everyone,” say the Southern California Tax Revolt Coalition in San Diego Dawn Wildman.
For more stories; http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-10317-San-Diego-County-Political-Buzz-Examiner
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