The new bill that is expected to be passed will make life difficult if not unbearable for illegal immigrants in the state of Arizona. Arizonans have been demanding a crackdown for many years now and finally their cries seem to have been heard. The accelerated passage of the bill and the overall acceptance of it may have been influenced by a couple of events that occurred recently.

During a raid of several bus companies (run by Mexicans incidentally) revealed a slick process which helped illegal immigrants get to safe havens. The busses would travel to pre-determined pick points along the border and load the illegal immigrants. They would then have to pay around $2,500 per person to be driven to their destination in Arizona. Each passenger was issued a legitimate $30 ticket in case they were stopped by any officers from law enforcement agencies along the way.

But the shocker that may have turned the tide could be the murder of rancher Rob Krentz. The rancher was shot dead on his own property by a suspected illegal immigrant. According to the evidence that is being pieced together, Krentz stopped to help a person in difficulties who is also suspected of illegally crossing the border. After shooting Krentz, the suspect is said to have fled through a wildlife refuge region. The Border patrol is not allowed to patrol this area and therefore many illegal crossings use this to their advantage.

The new laws that the bill will bring about are quite controversial and many from the legal immigrant community are protesting about it, as it would make even their lives difficult. However, their pleas seem to be falling on deaf ears especially with an important election looming.

Although it sounds innocuous enough, 287(g) is something that strikes terror in the hearts of illegal immigrants. This is not only because of what it is designed to do but because of the way it is being handled at the moment by law enforcement authorities.

287(g) is a law that empowers selected local police officers with the ability to question suspects regarding their immigration status. Thereafter, the officers can arrest, detain and set up deportation processes for the illegal immigrants. Used in the wrong way, to put it very bluntly, it allows officers carte blanche authority to question anyone based on their appearance. Although it may not have occurred that way in every situation, the number of complaints regarding civil rights abuse in relation to 287(g) is on the rise.

A report issued by the Homeland Security attributed the complaints to “lack of oversight, supervision & training by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as well as failure to check on the backgrounds of some officers as required by the law”.

ICE implemented 287(g) as a means to identify and remove illegal immigrants who were dangerous criminals such as those wanted for murder, rape, robbery or kidnapping. It is a telling sign that out of a sampling of 280 of those identified via the program, less than 10 percent (26 persons) fell into the “dangerous criminals” category.

The report did concede that ICE had made improvements to the program over the last few months but warned that “significant challenges in administering the 287(g) program continue to exist.”