Legal racial profiling is what some opponents are calling a proposed anti-immigration law in Georgia.
The law, which draws parallels to that of Arizona’s anti-immigration bill, and, for example, would allow law enforcement to inquire about a suspect’s immigration status when pulled over for speeding.
“That clearly gets in the way of the civil liberties of immigrants and their rights,” said Anthony Orum, professor of sociology and political science at the University of Illinois at Chicago. “There are no other laws that permit officers to do anything like that.”
Thomas Boswell, professor of geography and regional studies at the University of Miami, said the law isn’t necessarily an attack against a different race.
“Probably 90 percent or more of the illegal immigrants who come to Arizona are Hispanic,” he said. “So, if 90 percent of the people they stop are Hispanic, it doesn’t necessarily imply racial profiling.”
States like Arizona and Georgia have been making steps toward preventing illegal immigration, and experts say it is likely other states may follow suit—especially states on the Mexico border.
Boswell said the immigration laws should be more consistent and regulated by the federal government.
“[Federal laws] would be uniform, and you wouldn’t have some states having stricter laws that just chase illegal immigrants into other states, thereby creating problems for other states,” he said.
But Orum believes the issue may be one of state-to-state politics.
“There’s a great deal of variation [across the United States] in terms of the number of immigrants and immigrant sentiment,” he said. “I don’t think a federal law will work.”
The proposed law targets illegal immigrants specifically, and there is debate whether illegal aliens have rights in this case.
“Mostly it comes down to the illegal immigrant community,” said Brian Griffith, of the Center for Immigration Studies. “Folks who are here legally are within the bounds of the fed government, and they won’t be affected by this law.”
Boswell said illegal immigrants come to the United States knowing full well that they are breaking the law, and therefore shouldn’t be provided any amnesty.
“What kinds of civil rights can people expect to have who break the law and come to the U.S.?” he said.
