SB 1070: A State of Discontent and Debate

By Travis Owen
05/04/2010

Sunday April 23rd is a day that will live in mixed feelings across the state of Arizona as Governor Jan Brewer signed Senate Bill 1070. What part of the controversial legislation entails is giving the state expanded power in confronting illegal immigrants.

Being a politically active member of the Northern Arizona University community, NAU Conservatives and I the president are experiencing the debate right at home. It is not every day that Arizona is the centerpiece of political conversations across the nation, minus a failed attempt at the Presidency by Senator John McCain.

So to give people a better understanding of what is going on at my home collegiate state of Arizona I have gone through the process of observing class discussions, protests, Facebook posts, and interviewed various professors and students about their thoughts on the legislation.

The overall feeling across the Northern Arizona University campus is outrage. Numerous posts, articles in the student newspaper, rants by professors and protests have all centered toward opposition of the legislation. Prominent Race Theorist and Associate professor Dr. Joel Olson here at NAU said in what he called a “Libertarian Socialist Critique” the following, “SB 1070 is a huge expansion of police power, ironically sponsored by small party republicans.” At the same time he also stated, “Most 1070 proponents are not racist, but immigrant, illegal and latino all become the same person under it. An invasion of culture of culture is what it is labeled as and becomes.” Though Libertarian socialists are few and far between, even on a campus as liberal as NAU, the same argument could be made for several liberal entrenched students who advocate for more government yet strongly oppose the bill.

Conservative and Hispanic Professor Dr. Stephen Nuno at NAU made the same point as Dr. Olson, yet disagreed on others, “The legislation expands the role of government and places suspicion on Hispanic citizens, but it is a response by Arizonan’s who have been disproportionately effected by illegal immigration.”

The common student sentiment on the bill is that it is inherently racist, as to be expected in a school as blue as NAU. But other groups in Flagstaff held strong disapproval and emphasized it in protests in front of Flagstaff City hall. One group was the Repeal Coalition who stated on their fliers, “To call other humans “illegal” is to degrade our own humanity.”

This group, student Latino groups, and similar groups are making themselves heard across the state. Advocates are often not given the chance or are currently afraid to put forth events in support of the bill. A member of my club, Emily Gorbutt said, “The overt racism being such as painting swastikas on refried beans to demonize the supporters hurts my feelings and is extremely offensive.” When talking to her she seamed to express feelings of frustration, feeling she isn’t given the chance to express her thoughts in predominantly liberal classroom discussions.

Yet there are those who are standing in opposition, Vice President of the NAU Conservatives Amber Morin sent a letter to Governor Brewer in thanks for passing the legislation. Another member Robert Rose said the following in a classroom online discussion post, “people will cry foul until they see it repealed. People who are still racially biased will support it to unconstitutional extents. But rational people will realize several things. The first, that your emotions are irrelevant when sovereign US law is broken. The second is that this new law only solves the effects of the problem, not the cause which is a screwed up legal bureaucratic immigration system. The concern with this new law should not be that it is outright racist and illegal. It is that there is good room for corruption.

What is occurring across this state is something I have never experienced in my lifetime but feel both obligated yet privileged to be able to look through the inside of the veil on this issue, at least to the extent I can. Despite the outcry against it overwhelmingly on the NAU campus, 70% of Arizonans support the bill. I myself hold mixed feelings. The libertarian in me cringes at the thought of government expansion of police power. It scares me to consider this bill can entail overt racism toward some yet I am so relieved that something is finally being done. To many Arizonan’s are disproportionately effected by illegal immigration. Too many legal immigrants are mislabeled due to wrong doing’s of illegal’s, and a majority of Arizona residents have bean crying out for immigration reform prior to Janet Napolitano becoming Head of DHS. The point here is as my peer Robert pointed out political corruption will occur here, but emotions are irrelevant when laws are broken, I do not get a pass if I break a federal crime. The only question then is as much as several conservatives both support this bill whole heartedly and somewhat, is this the right way, and will this lead toward the next step of stopping the illegal immigration at the borders?