The Politics of Protest

Across the nation, protests continued over Arizona's new law cracking down on illegal immigration. Protesters with nothing to fear and nothing to lose from the new law took to the streets from Maine to California. The law makes it illegal to be in Arizona illegally. Being in the country illegally is already a violation of federal law.

Many are angered by the problematic nature of enforcing the law which they say will unfairly target Hispanics. Arizona has already made changes to the law to ease those concerns. Authorities will be restricted from using race or ethnicity as a basis for checking immigration status. Furthermore, checking immigration status will be in line with normal police procedure, the checking of a person's status can only be subsequent to police questioning. It cannot be the basis for it. Nevertheless, opponents of the law are not mollified. They have little faith in the police to adhere to the guidelines. They claim that the new law will lead to racial profiling. Groups across the nation have called for a boycott of all things Arizona. Some in Congress are calling on Major League Baseball to move its All Star Game from Arizona where it is scheduled to be played in 2011. According to former state senator Alfredo Gonzales, the goal of the boycott is to "is to as quickly as possible bring a shocking stop to the economy of Arizona." This from a person who once swore to serve the state he now seeks to undermine.

Many are also upset in the audacity of Arizona to pass such a law. They are outraged that Arizona has acted to put a stop to illegal immigration. Arizona state Representative Ed Ableser scoffed at Arizona's attempt to curb illegal immigration claiming that Arizona's move has "raised the bar on the definition of crazy and ridiculous."

The new law is popular in Arizona. In fact, 47% of Hispanics in Arizona support the measure. Arizona is one of the states most affected by the burdens and costs of illegal immigration. Some estimate that at present there are 283,000 illegal immigrants residing in Arizona. Others put the number as high as 500,000. More arrive every day. Arizona has a population of only 6.6 million so the number is more keenly felt than it would be elswhere. The growing rate of illegal immigration reflects not immigration so much as migration. Despite the common argument that illegal immigration is a boon to the U.S., The Federation for Immigration Reform estimates that the the net loss to Arizona from illegal immigration is $1.3 billion a year. It represents a household burden of $700 per natural born resident, regardless of ethnicity. One hospital near the Mexican border reported that its Emergency Room costs for treating illegal immigrants rose from $40,000 to $350,000 over the last four years.

People nationwide who are not affected in the least by the new law are clamoring for its repeal. For them it is a matter of principal. They object to immigration laws in general and see them as unfair and biased towards Mexicans. The fact that Swedes, Russians, Brazilians, and Malaysians are also subject to the new law is entirely lost on them. For them, any person who is able to sneak into the country has a right to be here. Every one who already resides in the U.S. illegally has a right to be here as well. Any attempt to curb illegal immigration or enforce the law is an abridgment of that right.

The zealousness and spite of pro immigration groups was on display in many of the protests. Demonstrators waved Mexican flags and shouted insults and obscenities at those they suspected of harboring contrary views: always a sure fire method of attracting sympathy for the cause. The anger of the protesters reflects a disdain for democracy. They rarely tolerate views contrary to their own. When their goals are thwarted they quickly turn to throwing tantrums and abusing those who disagree with them. They have little respect or patience for the legislative process. They know what they want and they want it now. They cannot understand how there can be principled opposition to their point of view. They suspect all opposition to be based on prejudice, ignorance, and selfishness. If they can gather enough people and yell loud enough, they expect the opposition to yield. If the state house refuses their demands, they turn to the courts. Appealing to voters is usually a last resort.

It is becoming more and more common for people to refuse to accept a loss. The new law in Arizona was passed with the support of majority of the people in Arizona. If the opponents of the new law can gather enough voters to elect enough legislators to change the law, they can do so. It is the nature of politics that some people always lose. It is also the nature of politics that no loss is ever permanent: unless, of course, courts are relied upon for victory. Supporters of untrammeled immigration lost in Arizona and people are upset. They do not like to lose. No one does. But because they lost in the statehouse, they are free to make their case in the next election. In the mean time they are obliged to obey the law.

When passion is high, some people are quick resort to the politics of protest. They rely on coercion to achieve their goals. Such methods are a danger to democracy. They want to punish the people of Arizona for adopting a law they object to. They are willing to damage the economy of Arizona as revenge for it passing a law they oppose. They threaten to do the same to any state that seeks to limit illegal immigration. Activists and protesters are trying to force Arizona to repeal the law. They are threatening to do everything they can to harm Arizona and any other state that adopts similar laws. They have little interest in what the voters in Arizona or elsewhere want. This is democracy as they understand it.