Does Idaho need an Arizona-style law that compels police officers to check immigration status, if they suspect they have stopped, detained or arrested an illegal alien? A law that legitimizes racial profiling and may well violate Fourth Amendment protections against illegal searches? No. For many good reasons, and one as easy to read as a map. Geography. However ill-founded, Arizona's immigration law responds to an indisputably pressing problem. Arizona shares a 370-mile southern border with Mexico, and nearly 500,000 illegal aliens live in the state. Stop and think about that second number. An Ada County's worth of illegal aliens, with 100,000 or so on top of that. Idaho's illegal immigration issues simply aren't of the same magnitude. Idaho has no reason - or excuse - to follow Arizona's misguided path/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here. (AP Photo: Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio at a press conference re: Arizona illegal immigration law.)
Question: Do you think that Idaho needs an immigration law similar to Arizona's?
D.F. (Dave) Oliveria joined The Spokesman-Review in 1984. He currently is a columnist and compiles the Huckleberries Online blog and writes about North Idaho in his Huckleberries column.
if they suspect they have stopped, detained or arrested an illegal alien? A law that legitimizes racial profiling and may well violate Fourth Amendment protections against illegal searches? No. For many good reasons, and one as easy to read as a map. Geography. However ill-founded, Arizona's immigration law responds to an indisputably pressing problem. Arizona shares a 370-mile southern border with Mexico, and nearly 500,000 illegal aliens live in the state. Stop and think about that second number. An Ada County's worth of illegal aliens, with 100,000 or so on top of that. Idaho's illegal immigration issues simply aren't of the same magnitude. Idaho has no reason - or excuse - to follow Arizona's misguided path/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. 