Immigration, what?

Here is my 2 cents on the whole immigration subject flooding my Google Reader for the past couple weeks.  Now, I'll be the first to admit I'm not very educated on the subject, I just see what I see on Facebook and Twitter and what I hear on Nation Public Radio.  But as I see it now, this is where I stand.

If you're an ILLEGAL immigrant ... you shouldn't be in this country.  Right?  I mean - there are ways to become a LEGAL immigrant, so do that!  This is not just an United States issue, I think it should be this way wherever.  Stacey and I dreamed about going to Australia a long time ago, and to do so, we would have to apply, be accepted, and pay some fees to become Australian citizens.  Sounds fair.

So, Arizona passes this law that says if you are interacting with the police, they have the right to check your immigration status.  What's the big deal?

If I get pulled over, say, in Arizona, an officer is going to ask for what? - my identification, my driver's license.  What does this prove to the officer immediately?  That I'm a US Citizen.  If I didn't have one, boom - grounds for asking for immigration status.  If I am a LEGAL immigrant, and I've done everything I'm supposed to, and I have my papers on me, no big deal.  We have to carry our drivers license everywhere, how hard is it to carry another piece of paper that proves you are a legal immigrant?

People have been talking about how this gives officers more opportunities to discriminate against Mexicans, or people of a specific race - but we all know this happens anyway.  This really doesn't change that unfortunate factor.

The benefit of this law being passed, as I see it, will help control who is coming into this country, legally and illegally.  We don't want ILLEGAL immigrants in this country.  We will accept ANYONE in this country (at least I will, I guess I can't speak for all America), but you hafta do the work to get here.  If you don't, and a cop asks you for proof of status, and you don't have any - deportation sounds fine to me. 

Peace,
-marc