Mexico is fighting back at an Arizona crackdown aimed at illegal aliens.
Mexico’s government is warning its citizens about travel to Arizona because of a tough new immigration law there.
The travel alert from the Foreign Relations Department urges Mexicans in Arizona to “act with prudence and respect the framework of local laws.”
It says that the law’s passage shows “an adverse political atmosphere for migrant communities and for all Mexican visitors.”
It says that once the law takes effect, foreigners can be detained if they fail to carry immigration documents. While enforcement details are not yet clear, the alert says “it should be assumed that any Mexican citizen could be bothered and questioned for no other reason at any moment.”
Emphasis mine. And he’s right, of course. Assurances about racial profiling and probable cause aside, Arizona’s law makes things tougher for people who look Mexican, especially if they’re poor or poorly dressed.
The city of San Francisco, amusingly, is considering a boycott of Arizona as well. We’ll see how much this hurts Arizona.
Advisories telling Mexicans to “respect the framework of local laws” are likely to be well received, in any case, despite the ominous undertone.
