Monday, June 21, 2010
Legislature ACLU Demands Veto of Tennessee's Arizona-Style Immigration Crackdown
Posted by Jeff Woods on Mon, Jun 21, 2010 at 1:53 PM
- "You in a heap o' trouble now, feriner."
Actually, if you are white and speak with a hillbilly accent, no worries. You won't have to carry proof. On the other hand, if your skin is brown or you look or sound like a foreigner, well, it's probably time to move along.
And who would decide whether to check for documentation? That weighty responsibility would fall to all those astute civil libertarians working as jailers and deputy sheriffs across Tennessee. Under this legislation, sheriffs are required to send booking information to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for those who cannot prove their legal status. Even the sheriff's association was against it.
"This legislation is un-American and effectively creates a police state," the ACLU's Hedy Weinberg writes in demanding that Gov. Phil Bredesen veto the bill. In her letter to the governor, Weinberg says the bill "invites disparate treatment of minority groups, and encourages racial profiling."
"Using local law enforcement who are untrained in the complexities and proper enforcement of federal immigration law [to enforce these laws] is a recipe for racial profiling. Under SB 1141/HB 670, once the individual is arrested, it becomes the responsibility of the jailer to attempt to determine that person's immigration status. It is likely that absent documentation of lawful presence, the jailer will rely on the arrested person's appearance, race, ethnicity, accent and language to attempt to determine the individual's legal status and determine whether or not to report the person to ICE."
One of the bill's sponsors, Rep. Vance Dennis, R-Savannah, actually said jailers ought to check the documentation of anyone who can't speak English fluently—a standard that would require the deportation of many members of our bumpkin legislature.
"I've seen many instances where someone is incarcerated in a local jail and there's a reasonable suspicion that they're not in the country legally based on factors, most prominent to me, that they are not able to speak English," he told the Associated Press.
To which immigrant rights advocate Stephen Fotopulos responded: "All U.S.-born citizens from Puerto Rico would be mortified to think that's a legitimate test."
If Bredesen vetoes the bill, the legislature can't override it without coming back into session. To do that, a super majority of each house would have to ask for it.
Comments (7)
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Well shit now, our legislature has to get outside this issue. The answer, of course, is the same as the beer purchase law. Make everybody carry proof of citizenship on their person at all times whenever they are out and about. If they don't have it, fine the crap out of them. That'll flatten out the playing field, by the red roarin' Jesus.
Go for it ACLU! Tennessee's bank account is indebted to you. Without profiling anybody.
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Vee must zee ur papers! Vere are ur papers! Zeig heil, Larry! I don't have to buy beer. Sooner or later I will have to go outside.
Let's give our little brown friends the whole damn country. We can all kiss and hug and live in a grand utopian society where there is no law.
King Kracker
By God you are perceptive Chadwell. You understand how things work. Power to the Police, by cracky!
This is the ACLU at its ridiculous, arrogant best. They obviously look down on the whole state of Tennessee. As I read this article (I haven't read the bill), all it does is require jailers to try to determine the immigration status of people who are jailed, and to call ICE to make the final determination. And under federal immigration laws, all legal aliens in the U.S. are required to carry their immigration document. That's the purpose of giving it to them in the first place. And, yes, if a person speaks with a heavy accent, it's an indication that they might not be citizens. And appearance can be one more indication. The best way for states to handle it is to enroll in Secure Communities; under that federal program they check the immigration status of everyone who's arrested.
Tennessee will be a better place if we get all the illegal immigrants out
It's TN surprise we don't have a rule to kill one on site LoL
that should be Arizona's next step if there SB 1070 doesn't work LoL
I want to know if any other American born citizens besides me has ever been pulled over and asked for ID? Registration? Insurance? I have been required by law to carry and show my ID to any police officer that has asked for it since I was 16 years old, Now how is it right that someone from another country is not required by law to do the same thing.. here is the real deal we must make them show their papers or some form of ID but since nobody seems to get it that the illegals have no id and we have no idea who they truly are they could be anyone they want to be.. Maybe they have stolen your ID or your neighbors or a family member and maybe they are not here to farm or cut your grass maybe they are here for another reason like 911. but how do you know you dont want them to show ID how do you identify a terroist from a guy that just wants to cut your grass? There have been several reports released from our southwest border that show OTM's are crossing ( Other Than Mexicans) and they are from countrys like Iran, Iraq, affganistan, cuba, ect ect... Are we so complacent to beleive that 911 will not happen again. Do you have any idea how much money is sent to mexico daily? Its in the millions. How much of the United states money was found in Saddam Hussans house? So now we have illegals taking our jobs and they live on a 1/4 of it and send the rest to Mexico. Now I know that sounds noble and all but they do not even spend the money here they remove it from our economy and it has destroyed Californias economy.. If you want to know what you economic future looks like take a look at California and Arizona. When I worked for a large grocery chain I shopped and bought my grocerys from there.. Why wouldn't I want to boost the sales in my own company, if I took it to other chain stores who would I be supporting? Why bite the hand that feeds you.... Wake up America this is an invasion without one shot being fired... Defend our country by defending our borders and our citizens by defending their jobs and their right to work.
