Assemblyman Dinowitz Blasts Arizona Immigration Law as Un-American

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (D-Bronx) has condemned Arizona’s recently passed immigration law, calling it un-American. The law requires the police to stop and question anyone who looks like an illegal immigrant. “We are a nation of immigrants,” stated Assemblyman Dinowitz. “I’m not sure what an illegal immigrant looks like, but clearly this statute is nothing less than legalized racial profiling. This law will invite harassment and result in the arrest of countless people, regardless of immigration status or citizenship. It would allow law enforcement to question or arrest people simply on the basis of appearing to be foreign born. If that’s not un-American, I don’t know what is. The selective stopping of people and demanding identity papers certainly is a frightening reminder of horrible events that occurred in countries where citizens were often oppressed and in some cases killed based on race or religious beliefs.”