2008: The End of the Road for Undocumented
Immigrants in Arizona?
Immigrants in Arizona?
The topic of illegal immigration will become and integral and important part of the presidential candidates’
platform.
platform.
By Eduardo Barraza
Phoenix, Arizona. January 3, 2008 - The hopes of millions of people living in the United States without
legal documents were indefinitely deferred in 2007, a year that will go down in history as one of the most
hostile toward undocumented immigration. In contrast, those who fiercely oppose any measure to
legalize the estimated 12 million of undocumented individuals claimed partial victory in the wake of 2008,
a year that will be dominated by presidential campaigns, candidates and what promises to be an intense
election.
The immigration war —hardly just a debate any longer— has been carried over into the New Year amidst
a dangerous atmosphere of antagonism, resentment, and verbal aggression toward those who live,
work and consume in the U.S. without a visa, permit, or any sort of legal status. Consequently,
unfinished —and irreconcilable— immigration businesses that were postponed in 2007, postponed in
2007, predict nothing but a lingering and prolonged struggle between immigration advocates and
opponents to legalization.
States, counties and cities have been left wandering by the federal government in a messy maze of local
laws that aim to accomplish —with limited and inadequate resources— what the powers of Washington
have not. Local governments, especially in border states like Arizona, have tried to mend an outdated
national immigration system using legislative “patches” here and there. Evidently, these laws enacted at
the State level have been largely ineffective, and have instead hurt budgets and resources but more
importantly the trust of large sectors of the population.
Since the issue of undocumented immigration has been snowballing for years, the current state of the
problem has escalated to almost unmanageable proportions, especially at local levels where in spite of
aggressive laws, nothing has proved to be essentially effective. These laws have caused unintended
effects and have moved the pressure to other areas, thus creating other “holes.” This type of “patching-
holes” legislation is not what the national immigration situation requires. Conversely, some of these
unplanned effects are jeopardizing the economy, the progress and the social relations of many counties,
cities, and states.
Nevertheless, politicians from all government levels have seen the great potential of such an explosive
issue in the undocumented immigration. Seizing the resolution power of this overwhelming crisis cannot
only translate in votes, but also, in this decisive year of 2008, in winning their way to office, and at the
federal level, particularly the race to the White House. Thus, the topic of illegal immigration will become
and integral and important part of the presidential candidates’ platform. Understandably, the eventual
and inevitable immigration reform was placed on hold last year to be used as a political platform where
politicians can benefit the most from it.
In the mean time, millions of people, thousands of students, entire communities, and virtually the whole
nation, has been left suspended from a hanging thread that no one knows how much more it can resist.
legal documents were indefinitely deferred in 2007, a year that will go down in history as one of the most
hostile toward undocumented immigration. In contrast, those who fiercely oppose any measure to
legalize the estimated 12 million of undocumented individuals claimed partial victory in the wake of 2008,
a year that will be dominated by presidential campaigns, candidates and what promises to be an intense
election.
The immigration war —hardly just a debate any longer— has been carried over into the New Year amidst
a dangerous atmosphere of antagonism, resentment, and verbal aggression toward those who live,
work and consume in the U.S. without a visa, permit, or any sort of legal status. Consequently,
unfinished —and irreconcilable— immigration businesses that were postponed in 2007, postponed in
2007, predict nothing but a lingering and prolonged struggle between immigration advocates and
opponents to legalization.
States, counties and cities have been left wandering by the federal government in a messy maze of local
laws that aim to accomplish —with limited and inadequate resources— what the powers of Washington
have not. Local governments, especially in border states like Arizona, have tried to mend an outdated
national immigration system using legislative “patches” here and there. Evidently, these laws enacted at
the State level have been largely ineffective, and have instead hurt budgets and resources but more
importantly the trust of large sectors of the population.
Since the issue of undocumented immigration has been snowballing for years, the current state of the
problem has escalated to almost unmanageable proportions, especially at local levels where in spite of
aggressive laws, nothing has proved to be essentially effective. These laws have caused unintended
effects and have moved the pressure to other areas, thus creating other “holes.” This type of “patching-
holes” legislation is not what the national immigration situation requires. Conversely, some of these
unplanned effects are jeopardizing the economy, the progress and the social relations of many counties,
cities, and states.
Nevertheless, politicians from all government levels have seen the great potential of such an explosive
issue in the undocumented immigration. Seizing the resolution power of this overwhelming crisis cannot
only translate in votes, but also, in this decisive year of 2008, in winning their way to office, and at the
federal level, particularly the race to the White House. Thus, the topic of illegal immigration will become
and integral and important part of the presidential candidates’ platform. Understandably, the eventual
and inevitable immigration reform was placed on hold last year to be used as a political platform where
politicians can benefit the most from it.
In the mean time, millions of people, thousands of students, entire communities, and virtually the whole
nation, has been left suspended from a hanging thread that no one knows how much more it can resist.
| Hispanic Institute of Social Issues © 2006-2011 All rights reserved. webmaster@hisi.org |
Eduardo Barraza is a journalist and writer,
Barriozona Magazine's editor, and director of
the Hispanic Insitute of Social Issues.
E-mail: editor@barriozona.com
Barriozona Magazine's editor, and director of
the Hispanic Insitute of Social Issues.
E-mail: editor@barriozona.com
Published by the Hispanic Institute of Social Issues in Phoenix, Arizona
|
| HISTORY IS ABOUT TO CHANGE Grassroots Journalism |
DEAD END Legislation against
unauthorized immigration in Arizona
and elsewhere in the nation is
having an effect, but not exactly the
intended one.
Photo by Eduardo Barraza | Barriozona
unauthorized immigration in Arizona
and elsewhere in the nation is
having an effect, but not exactly the
intended one.
Photo by Eduardo Barraza | Barriozona
