Apartheid in Arizona

Arizona’s new immigration laws remind me of the Apartheid in South Africa. No, Arizona isn’t proposing an outright segregation of Hispanics. But the legislation is, in fact, causing a segregation of civil rights. Now immigrants, and consequently anybody of Hispanic decent, in Arizona are required to carry their documents. This is strikingly similar to the pass laws that required blacks to carry the pass books in South Africa. Obviously, failure to produce the necessary paperwork is a crime and punishable as such. And just like the UN’s subsequent trade embargo as a result of the Apartheid of South Africa, various states and cities are already boycotting and cutting contracts from Arizona.

Now in reality, segregation was already a standard in South Africa since colonial times, but when they wanted put it into law the UN was forced to address the matter (although segregation still went on for a good 50 years). The same, more than likely, holds true in Arizona. I’m sure law enforcement was already racially profiling potential illegal immigrants. But now that it’s law, the country can’t help but to address the issue.

At any rate, I believe something should be done about the countries overall immigration policies. I don’t know what though. I’ve heard the amnesty and the “building a wall” arguments. I doubt building another Great Wall of China will work. It did a poor job of keeping the Mongols out. As an economist, I say make the illegal immigrants legal citizens, and then tax them. Beyond, that I have no opinion.