Politics

This image of the Crayola Multicultural Crayons Set has been making its rounds on Facebook and I thought I’d repost it for the 3 of you not on FB.  Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed the country’s toughest illegal immigration bill into law on April 23, 2010.  Among other things, the law makes it a state-level criminal offense (a misdemeanor) to not carry immigration documents or proof of citizenship at all times.  Police will have the power to stop people at will and request these documents (passport, drivers license, green card…).

Living in Europe, specifically France, and traveling internationally, I’m used to the fact that other countries allow the police to stop you and verify your residency/visa/immigration status.  While racial profiling can happen, it is not common, and document checking is much more tolerated in countries that have numerous neighbors just several hundred kilometers away.  In the US, we just don’t have the same international mindset and have gotten quite used to living in a very large country with little interactions with foreigners. President Barack Obama has strongly criticized the law and numerous cities, like Los Angeles and San Francisco, have passed measures barring city agencies from signing/renewing contracts with Arizona-based companies.