Angry voices can be heard in the streets of Arizona. Everywhere, people are marching and waving banners. They are protesting. A new law called the Arizona Immigration Law has just been passed, enforcing a stricter campaign against illegal immigrants. The Arizona Immigration Law is a fair and essential way to control the illegal immigration that is a constant and heavy burden on the United States.

The Arizona Immigration Law declares it unlawful to reside in Arizona as an illegal immigrant, and allows law enforcement to check anyone suspected of being an illegal immigrant for official papers declaring their citizenship. The hope behind this new law is a more effective way to identify those who are in our country illegally. The law gives law enforcement more authority, and therefore makes it easier to identify and apprehend the illegal aliens. Further more, the officials in Arizona hope that more successful border control at present will mean less illegal immigration later. The logic behind this hope is that if foreigners see the United States crack down on illegal immigration, they will be more likely to immigrate legally.

This law is extremely controversial, however. People are concerned about the method of legality checks. Many are worried that immigrants, legal or not, will be excessively screened for legal documents, and will thereby be oppressed and inconvenienced. This is not true, however. There are existing laws allowing police officers to ask questions of innocent citizens, and the Arizona Immigration Law will not be vastly different. Legal citizens have nothing to fear, and only illegal immigrants will suffer ill effects from the document checks.
The Arizona Immigration Law is an attempt to eliminate, or at least slow, illegal immigration, especially across the Mexican border. This is an essential step for many reasons, one of which is the American workforce. Illegal immigrants work for low wages, and occupy jobs that could be held by legal Americans (CIS). Many people complain that too many jobs go overseas, but the truth is, even ‘American’ industry is fueled in part by those who are not in our country legally. Illegal immigrants are taxing our citizenry, as many legal citizens are jobless and their wages are going to those who are breaking our laws.
Not only do illegal immigrants break the law by crossing into the United States, records show illegal immigrants play a big part in crime within the United States. According to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, as cited by the Center for Immigration Studies, illegal immigrants commit 22% of the crimes in America, and make up 11% of Arizona’s prison population. Additionally, in the Tucson sector of Border Control, about 17% of the immigrants apprehended have criminal records in the United States. Under the Arizona Immigration Law, law enforcement will be more able to capture those responsible for such a large amount of crime.

Another problem with illegal immigration is the principle. The secretive and unlawful crossing of our borders illustrates a universal disrespect for our laws. These laws, which are the foundation of our nation, mean so little to foreigners that floods of people cross American borders illegally – an estimated 10,000 people daily! (CAIR) Crime levels within the United States show disrespect for our laws even within our nation, and illegal immigration clearly illustrates other countries respect our laws even less. How long can a nation without successful law enforcement really last?

Unfortunately, illegal immigration isn’t just the concern of a few jobless Americans, or a matter of principle. The illegal immigrants in the United States are taxing resources on a national level. Social security, health care, loans and other benefits intended for American citizens are being given to illegal immigrants, consuming government resources by supporting those who aren’t tax-paying Americans (CIS). With the current slumped economy, the United States can simply not afford to support those who are not legal citizens.

To halt the ill effects of illegal immigrants, unlawful crossing of the border needs to be stopped. The Arizona Immigration Law works towards this goal by allowing law enforcement to check suspicious persons for proof of citizenship, therefore creating more opportunities for police to locate and arrest illegal aliens. This is an improvement, as cops were previously unable to check for papers, and aliens could easily escape detection by blending in with the legal immigrant population. With the new law, however, the illegal immigrants will not be able to bluff their way out of trouble. The message may take a while to sink in, but once the law has been in action for an extended period of time, the full effect of the law will be felt, and illegal immigration will decrease.

Despite the positive effects of the law, there are a great many people who oppose it, believing it will lead to racial profiling against immigrants. Some even go so far as to compare Arizona to Nazi Germany. However, race has nothing to do with it. No matter your dress, your culture, or you skin color, illegal is still illegal, and people need to respect our laws. Unfortunately, illegal immigration is a real problem for the United States, and legal immigrants and other legal citizens should both be willing to help us work toward the solving of this problem. The paperwork checks will not breach any rights or be racially biased. While there could be slight inconveniences, it is a small and necessary sacrifice for the good of our country.

Illegal immigrants hurt Americans, and the American government itself. Unlawful immigration is a growing problem, and it needs to be stopped. The Arizona Immigration law is a way to control the illegal immigration in a fair and useful way, to help stop the harmful effects of illegal aliens, yet many people protest it. Join those defending the law in your community, and show your support for justice. I sure am!