mexican border fenceWith Arizona’s controversial immigration law potentially headed for the Supreme Court, the state has decided to take safety precautions against drug runners, kidnappers, and murderers into its own hands. SB 1070 lost an appeal last month to reverse a lower court’s order preventing key provisions of the immigration law from being enforced.

The federal government won’t do its job of cracking down on illegal immigration in Arizona, so Arizona tried to tackle the problem itself. Then, like a nanny scolding a toddler for getting too big for his britches, Uncle Sam wagged his finger and shook his head before gorging on bonbons paid for by the taxpayers (aka working people). 

Sorry, Arizona, you’re SOL.

Not Arizona! Oh no. Arizonians have had enough phooeying around, and are probably pretty sick of being called racists because they want to keep criminals from tromping through their backyards. They’re probably also sick of the litter. That stuff’s gross, and it’s expensive to clean up.

Enter SB 1406. Recently signed by Governor Jan Brewer, this bill takes effect in July, and establishes a website where people can go to donate funds to build fences along the US-Mexico border on private property, where the property owners agree. It also allows prisoners to be used for labor to build the fences.

Private donations, neighbors helping one another, and making jail time more unpleasant with hard physical labor … it’s a conservative wet dream!

Building a fence is not about racism or anti-immigrant sentiments; it’s simply about keeping the bad guys out. Our immigration system is messed up, but that’s not a reason to refuse to protect American citizens. There are bad things happening in Arizona due to lack of border security, and closing our eyes and crossing our fingers and hoping that only pure-hearted people come illegally into the U.S. is naive and dumb.

Human trafficking isn’t something that can be wished away. The first step in keeping the (very often under-aged) sex slaves out of the brothels is to block the road to the brothels.

I hear fences make excellent roadblocks. 

 

Image via 666isMONEY/Flickr