Mexico Issues Travel Alert Over

¶ … Mexico Issues Travel Alert over New Arizona Immigration Law" by Kevin Johnson, published in USA Today on April 28, 2010. Specifically it will review and analyze the article. Arizona's new immigration law has fueled protests across the nation. Many feel it is racial profiling at its worst, and that it targets anyone who appears to be Hispanic. This article discusses the law and the official Mexican Tourist Board reaction to the law. The social issue motivating this law is illegal immigration.

Arizona has the distinction of being the area where more illegal immigrants enter the country than anywhere else. A majority of the residents feel the Federal Government has not done enough to address the issue, so they took it into their own hands to develop this law. The underlying social issue that many feel motivates the law is racism. They feel the Hispanics that are here legally will be consistently harassed and targeted, and that the underlying reason is not illegal immigration but racism.

Population change is a consequence of illegal immigration, and that is an issue with those that support the new law, as well. In many areas of the country, including Arizona, Hispanics make up a major portion of the population. Many people fear they are taking jobs from USA workers, and that they are utilizing American social services at a heavy cost to American taxpayers. These are all population changes that have become a major social problem for Arizona.

However, there are questions about the legality and constitutionality of the new law, and many people fear it will be abused, which is why so many people are protesting the law around the country. They fear it will create racial profiling and will unfairly target anyone who looks Hispanic, whether they are in this country legally or not. The article discusses the constitutionality of the issue, which is one social policy response, and it alludes that the government will have to look at whether the law is legal or not.

However, the biggest responses have been from the people themselves. There have been protests all over the country, and there have been calls to boycott Arizona businesses and travel to Arizona. This article covers the Mexican government's response to the issue, in a sense telling residents not to travel to Arizona, or to make sure they have all their travel documents in order if they do. I would probably react the same way as the Mexican government in response to this issue.

Many people in Arizona are scared, as well they should be, and they are afraid the police will continually stop them because of their appearance. I think if I were a policy maker, I would attempt to find if the law was valid and constitutional, and I would protest it, as so many people are doing. I would fight for repeal of the law, and look for a better solution that would not blatantly target Hispanics.

I understand that illegal immigration is a very charged and emotional issue, and that there are many illegal aliens who come here to make trouble, break the law, and take advantage of our social services. However, there are many others who are here for the best.