Into the Streets of Tucson

While half of the group was in Mexico, Ann, Anna and I went to various locations in Tucson to ask people about immigration and SB1070. In total, we interviewed thirteen people. We began our interviews on 4th Avenue, an eclectic part of town. There we were able to interview five white women, two of which were older. One of the four women supported the bill. Downtown, we spoke with one older white man who stated that he didn’t know enough to have an opinion. Finally, we went to the Tucson Mall in an attempt to get a more conservative opinion. An elderly white man and one younger Asian woman claimed that they didn’t know enough about the issue; five Latinos strongly opposed the bill. In total, one individual supported SB1070; three individuals stated that they didn’t know enough about the bill to have an informed opinion; ten individuals opposed the bill. No one had read the entire bill, but several people were able to summarize the main points. No one knew what Operation Streamline was but one person hadheard the term before. I was very surprised that we didn’t find more support for SB1070. I was also surprised that people did not know what Operation Streamline is, given the fact that it occurs right in their city. I wish that we could have interviewed more people and spoken to a more diverse sample of people.

Immigration
There were general concerns about crime and drug trafficking. Several people pointed out that US is supposed to be a free land made up of immigrants. However, immigration is not solely a US problem. As Julie (interviewed at 4th Avenue) pointed out, Mexico encourages immigration to the USmeanwhile prohibiting Central Americans and others from migrating to its own land. Robert noted that immigration is a natural process of individuals from poor countries migrating torich countries. He mentioned Africans migrating to Europe, Central Americans migrating to the US, among other migration patterns.

"People forget that they're dealing with humans, not objects."- Julie, 4th Avenue

Support for SB1070

Terry was the only person that we interviewed who supported the bill. She has a son who works as a Border Patrol Agent and is concerned about the drug trafficking and crime. Terry was very adamant about how SB1070 should be followed on the simple principle that it is the law, end of story.

Racial Profiling

There were several concerns of SB1070 leading to racial profiling. People disliked the fact that the bill seemed to be aimed at a specific population. Julie (interviewed at 4th Avenue) compared the law to George Orwell’s 1984. Valerie, Missy and Eddy believed that police officers would target their race. Missy stated, “It needs to be mandatory to ask everyone.” Valerie noted that perhaps there would have been a different reaction to the bill if Governor Brewer had presented it differently, more positively.

The Economy

The boycotting of Arizona in responseto SB1070 was deemed unfair because it hurts everyone. Eddy, Valerie, and Missy noted that several celebrities have cancelled concerts in Arizona. Moreover, Rafael noted that the majority of the people crossing the border come here to work- for their families, food, and better lives. He believes, “There are so many jobs in the US, no one can do them all. We need people to come and work…look at the mall, we work in every store!” Julie (interviewed at the mall) doesn’t see the problem with people here to work, but perhaps Arizona is tired of the influx of people. Finally, Rafael brought up a common argument about immigration law unfairly separating families: “Where do the kids go? They can’t work!” He emphasized the fact that taking care of these orphaned children hurts our economy. Keeping families together could eliminate this huge expense.

Border Patrol

Missy, Valerie and Eddy are from the US border town of Nogales. They grew up around Border Patrol agents and therefore view their presence as an everyday norm. They did not seem to have an issue with Border Patrol checkpoints, which have existed for years. Their main concerns were with racial profiling due to SB1070.

Possible Solutions?

1. It was unanimous that the wall is not effective and a huge waste of money. Rafael noted that the wall does not stop terrorism because terrorists enter the country legally.

Bethany, who opposed the bill, mentioned, “The wall is a bandage for something that needs massive surgery.”

2. More attention needs to be spent on serious crimes.

3. Eddy believes that while SB1070might be the first step to resolving immigration, it won’t solve everything.

4. Rafael believes that the people crossing the border can’t be stopped because “it’s human instinct to find a better life.”

5. Missy proposed making the legal immigration progress more accessible. She understands from her mother’s experience that the legal process is tedious and expensive.