Dividing lines: Arizona's immigration law finds supporters, foes in the heartland

“It will be the first bill I file,” said Parkinson, R-St. Peters.

Such a pledge is in line with Parkinson’s focus on immigration ever since he took office in February 2008 after a special election. Parkinson (right) says his emphasis is welcomed in his district, where 92 percent of his survey respondents said “get tough on on illegal immigration.”

In fact, in early May, the St. Charles County Council voted 6-1 in support of Arizona’s law and urging the Missouri Legislature to enact a similar law.

Agreeing with this stance, for example, is St. Charles resident and Public Insight Network source Scott Rhoades. Illegal immigration “may not be as big a problem in Missouri as it is Arizona, but it is only a matter of time,” Rhoades said.

Arizona’s law, which requires authorities to ask for documentation of legal residency from people suspected of being illegal, “should have very little impact on the immigrants already here legally,” Rhoades said. “I do not feel it infringes on civil liberties one bit. When I lived in Denmark, I had my passport with me at all times.”

He complained locally of dealing “more and more every day” with people who cannot speak English, “which is an immediate indication they did not immigrate legally.”

Parkinson — a former aide to Sen. Christopher “Kit” Bond, R-Mo. — emphasizes that his plan for Missouri will differ from Arizona, in part because of Missouri’s different constitutional mandates. His initial version, submitted in mid-April — with just weeks to go in the last legislative session — did not, for example, impose any requirements for Missouri law enforcement to check the residency status of people stopped for traffic violations.

The legislator does plan to zero in on such matters as Missouri’s drivers license. Foreign students in the state with legal visas are rightly able to apply for state drivers licenses, he said. But in Parkinson’s view, the licenses should expire on the same day as the visas; now, the students receive the state’s standard six-year license.

“If you overstay your student visa, it’s just as illegal as someone crossing the (U.S.) border,” Parkinson said.

He also acknowledges that Missouri’s immigration problems are far less severe than those in Arizona, which borders Mexico and is a favorite route for illegal immigrants and those who smuggle them into the United States.

Last weekend, one of the conservative leaders of Arizona’s illegal immigration fight — Chris Simcox (right), founder of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps — was in town to lay out the particulars of Arizona’s troubles, as he viewed them.

Simcox emphasized in an interview that his focus is on border security, and not so much on the United States’ immigration policies. That said, Simcox emphasized his belief that the flood of illegal immigrants into the United States is fueled by some businesses’ “desire for cheap labor,” and illegal drug trafficking.

Yet, overall, according to Politifact, illegal crossings from Mexico are down, measured by the decrease in border apprehensions. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, as reported by Politifact, on the southern border, apprehensions dropped from 858,638 in 2007 to 705,005 in 2008 and to 540,865 in 2009.

Simcox appeared at a recent forum in south St. Louis County organized by Republican legislative hopeful Chris Brown, whom Simcox has known for years. Simcox said he is “barnstorming the country” to campaign for like-minded candidates concerned about security along the United States’ borders.

Among other things, Simcox contended that illegal immigrants have been deterred by Arizona’s law mandating photo identification for voting and receiving social services. He estimated Arizona has saved $1 billion because of lower demand for such state aid since the identification mandates went into effect.

According to Puneet Kollipara reporting in the Hill, local Tea Party leader Gina Loudon was expected to participate in a rally in Tempe, Ariz., this past weekend to support a “Buycott Arizona” campaign to counter tourism and business boycotts of the state. (Last year, Loudon organized a “Buycott Whole Foods” to show support of the store owner’s opposition to health-care reform.)

Area Hispanic Groups paying close attention

In Missouri, some Hispanic civic leaders are concerned about the legislative proposals advanced by Parkinson, among others. Jorge Riopedre, executive director of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan St. Louis, said, “We’re concerned about the business ramifications of these laws and plan to work with the Missouri Legislature as needed.”

The Hispanic Leaders Group of Greater St. Louis plans to make immigration the topic of its next meeting, set for June 9 at the Brown Shoe heaquarters in Clayton.

“We will have a panel discussion on what’s happening in our region,” said chairwoman Cileia Miranda-Yuen.

Sharing such concerns is Francisco Linan, a retired state worker of Hispanic descent who lives in St. Louis County.

“This implies police can stop anyone any time and ask for legal status. I bet they don’t stop whites and ask the same questions,” Linan said, recounting a recent incident in which a relative was stopped in Kansas and “had to show his Social Security number as proof of his legal status.”

“My friends suggested I place my Social Security number on my left arm with a permanent marker — I did,” Linan said, who is also a source in the Public Insight Network. He recalled that he had served in the military in the Vietnam War.

“I don’t understand; I went to Vietnam so that this country could … practice racial profiling?” he added sarcastically. “And what about the Hispanics — those come back from Iraq? Do they have to show their Social Security number on their arm or just show the prosthesis? There is a long-lasting solution somewhere, instead of a short and quick solution.”