Canadian politicians and other public figures who share the same views and opinions as Immigration Minister Jason Kennedy have been the recipients of much criticism for their ideology and efforts to solve the immigration problem that the nation has been dealing with over the past few years.
Most Canadians agree that immigration reform is necessary and overdue. Canada has long had an “open door” policy to foreign refugees and is now considered home to many who are seeking a safe haven. While many of these immigrants are considered beneficial to the Canadian society, the increasing number of immigrants on the country’s waiting list is becoming a problem.
Special interest groups such as the Immigration Bar have long been known to fight against immigration reform and even support extreme cases and abuses of current law. These groups have shown that they are willing to do whatever it takes to accuse Ottawa’s conservatives of racism and bigotry in order to force their own ideology and practices on others. Canada is facing a similar scenario as the United States in dealing with immigration reform and should look to southern states such as Arizona when reforming law. The border state recently enacted one of the harshest immigration laws in American history.
The Arizona law now provides law enforcement officers with the power to request specific forms of documentation that prove a person is a legal citizen of the United States from any person they suspect may be in the country illegally. The new law also gives policemen and other officers the ability to arrest any individual whom they assume is in the state illegally and has committed some form of “public offence” that could be a cause to remove the person from the United States.
The law has been met with plenty of opposition who accuse it of inviting racial profiling. The majority of illegal immigrants in Arizona are from Mexico, meaning that law enforcers will primarily be dealing with Hispanics. Officers, whether they do so consciously or not, will focus almost entirely on the large Latino population in the state. Most of the over two million Hispanics who live in Arizona are there legally and will probably be asked at some point to prove that legality, while most Caucasian Arizonans may never be asked to provide proper documentation other than a driver’s license.
Boycotts and protests have already been staged, some of which have been encouraged by state representatives. Other officials have publicly decried the law as unconstitutional and racist. The law is already being me with a large number of constitutional challenges because of its severity.
The Arizona law may offer Canadians with a lesson on what could happen in future immigration reform. The federal government has refused to solve the American-Mexican border problem for far too long and the public has lost their confidence in the governments ability to ensure their safety.
California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas have all blamed their increasing crime rates and the rise in violent crimes on the number of illegal immigrants within their borders. Some of these immigrants have ties to violent gangs and drug cartels. Many regions in these states have become so overrun with crime that law enforcement officials are unable to control and maintain the peace. It is for this reason that Arizona was forced into a law that invites many other problems.
Many citizens of Arizona have shown support for this new law, even in its extreme nature, because they feel that it is the last resort and that there are no other means to control the immigration problems. Other states have hinted that they will soon introduce similar laws with a few alterations.
Canadians can feel lucky that they do not have to deal with the same types of violent crimes and high numbers of illegal immigration problems as the United States does. However, Canadians have also felt some contempt and distrust towards the country’s current immigration stance and fear the same problems could arise in the future.
Most immigrants enter Canada’s borders legally and are valuable assets to the country. They provide excellent work and are capable of bringing in new ideas and innovations. Recent signs, however, point to a large number of immigrants entering the country illegally and creating a poor reputation for all foreign immigrants.
Canadians need to start working on protecting their borders now, before the country begins to have the same sort of problems that Arizona and other southern states have had to deal with. By doing so, the nation will be able to avoid the anger that has developed in many Arizonians.
Arthur Clyne is a writer and consultant for several local area businesses. Originally from Montreal, he currently represents a group of Toronto immigration lawyers.
