In one of the very first scenes of the excellent 1968 Cuban film “Memorias del Subdesarrollo” (Memories of Underdevelopment) directed by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, its main character explains exactly what characterizes an underdeveloped nation. Among the characteristics he names is a “short historical memory.”

The new immigration law signed recently in Arizona which, basically, allows policemen to question and require documentation from anybody they might suspect is an illegal alien, sets yet another very dangerous precedent in the turbulent history of civil rights in the U.S. It is a painful reminder of the United States’ very short historical memory and its persistent inability to learn from past mistakes.

I found one example of historic myopia in the website American Thinker, where Jeannie DeAngelis wrote the following regarding the newly ratified law:

“Beginning this summer, Arizona police have the authority to sweep trespassers from the Grand Canyon state. However, Hispanics, who make up nearly all of the 500,000 illegals roaming Arizona, think it's unfair to be asked for documentation because of ethnic appearance. What are police looking for Mexican and Central American illegals supposed to do -- focus on Nordic types hiding out in Arizona ski shops?” 

Ms. DeAngelis’ opinion is, unfortunately, a widespread one among certain white Americans, who still believe that the U.S. is (or should be) a white/Christian nation and everyone that is not should just go back the way they came. I do agree with Ms. DeAngelis in that there isn’t much the police can do once this law is set in motion but to follow their “gut instinct” or their own ideas of who should inhabit Arizona, however biased or misguided they are.

The average American’s indifference to history’s lessons in racial profiling is alarming. The following are only the three most recent examples of a long list of violations that started before the U.S. was even a nation:

• Korematsu v. United States (1944) – Ever heard of Manzanar? Apparently, many people haven’t. During the Second World War, the U.S. government decided to remove 110,000 Japanese-Americans from their homes to place them in “containment camps” based solely on their ethnic background. It is still one of the most flagrant violations of civil rights ever in contemporary U.S. history.
  
  
• New Jersey v. Black drivers (2000) – The state of New Jersey released 91,000 pages of police records revealing that 70% of drivers searched in the Jersey Turnpike were black, even though black people only represent around 17% of the state’s population.
  
  
• Middle Eastern People v. Panic (2001) – Following the attacks to the World Trade Center, the Bush Administration rounded up Middle Eastern men and women who were suspected of being associated to terrorist organizations, without a chance for due legal process. Hundreds captured overseas are still held in Guantanamo Bay without trial.

Although the Bush Administration issued an Executive Order in 2003 banning racial profiling in several Federal law enforcement agencies, it is seriously lacking in other areas, such as making an exception for the use of race in “national security” investigations. State and local law enforcement are not bound by this order either, thus allowing laws like the one in Arizona to be ratified.

The “End Racial Profiling Act” was proposed first in 2004, then in 2007, and both times never even got to the House of Representatives. In 2008, the act was referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security, where, as you probably guessed it, will surely languish until it’s completely forgotten.

The Obama Administration has to act beyond merely stating that the law is “irresponsible.”A lack of a forceful position on this issue, or a true reform to immigration laws by the Federal Government could result in other states, especially conservative ones, following Arizona’s suit.

To conclude, I’d like to quote Ms. DeAngelis again on the plight of immigrants in Arizona:

“Individuals who can legally show that they belong in Arizona have no fear of spending time in Sheriff Joe Arpaio's jail wearing pink undies and stripped prison garb, eating bologna sandwiches, and pedaling exercise bikes to provide electricity to inmate-powered television sets.” 

That sounds lovely, Ms. DeAngelis, but you don’t have to be afraid because I am sure you will never be asked if you belong.

Joanne Namerow was born and grew up in the beautiful Caribbean Island of Puerto Rico which she describes as, "a forgotten corner of the old empire", where we have been a colony of the United States since the end of the Hispanic-American War in 1898. We currently 'enjoy' a second class citizen status, as we are allowed to go to war for the U.S., but not allowed to vote for the president."