You Don't Need a Weatherman to Know Which Way the Wind Blows in Arizona

A few weeks ago, Arizona State Senator Russel Pearce wasn’t exactly a household name.

Russel Pearce is a leading architect of the Arizona law that sparked outrage throughout the country: Senate Bill 1070, which allows law-enforcement officers to ask about someone's immigration status during a traffic stop, detainment or arrest if reasonable suspicion exists — things like poor English skills, acting nervous or avoiding eye contact during a traffic stop.

Senator Pearce is now proposing a new bill that would deny birth certificates to children born in Arizona to parents who are not legal U.S. citizens. In short, his proposal would strip citizenship from those who have citizenship under the US Constitution.

The 14th Amendment to the US Constitution states:

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Pearce says the 14th Amendment has been "hijacked" by illegal immigrants. "They use it as a wedge," Pearce says. "This is an orchestrated effort by them to come here and have children to gain access to the great welfare state we've created." Pearce says he is aware of the constitutional issues involved with the bill and vows to introduce it nevertheless. "We will write it right."

You don’t need a weatherman to know how the winds are blowing on this issue with Arizona Governor Jan Brewer. Governor Brewer made these comments in a videotaped interview:

‘It is illegal to trespass in our country. It has always been illegal. If people have determined that they want to take that chance, and that responsibility ... they can take their children back with them.’

This is the same governor who has removed the state's attorney general, Terry Goddard, a Democrat and her potential challenger for re-election, from defending Arizona's new immigration-enforcement law, accusing him of colluding with the U.S. Justice Department as it weighs whether to challenge the law in court.

The xenophobic atmosphere of Arizona is hardly an anomaly today. Legislators in Florida are proposing a similar measure and last week the Texas GOP adopted a platform which calls for an enactment of a law similar to the Arizona statute.

When the laws of our country are written to deny basic fundamental rights to a group of people, it is painfully obvious that ignorance and fear is a motivating influence. Please let your voices be heard on this very important issue.