When the United States Supreme Court's ruling over Law S.B. 1070, known to some by "Arizona's Anti-immigration Law", was announced advocates and opponents alike called it a victory.

The decision rejected parts of the law but approved one of its items: Arizona's State Police will be able to look up the migratory status of any detainee. If he or she is found to be an illegal immigrant, the department could make the corresponding report and could even achieve the person's deportation.

Let's analyze this. Trying to be a little sympathetic there is some sense on both sides of the coin. Would you like intruders arriving to where you live? I suppose most of you would say no. In other words, American citizens have the right to ask for a severe system where illegal people should be sent back to their country of origin; especially when it's to deal with people who don't contribute to society, don't go to school, don't have a job and in all probability don't pay taxes. They support themselves with help from government institutions, civil organizations and with the taxpayers' money. Is it fair that you should work for them?

But also bear in mind this: Why are these people illegally crossing the border? The answer is simple: Need. Compare the quality of life between the countries the illegal immigrants come from to that of the US. It's true, there is an economic crisis going on worldwide and everybody is trying to make the best for themselves or their families.

The people who have crossed the border are looking for that: better chances. And that is how we arrive to notices in immigration laws and the demand for a reform. Who is protesting on American streets? People who study and work on the US; people who, outside of a migrant status, work for the country they live in, who want to help it grow.

Barack Obama's administration announced a stop to the deportation of young illegal immigrants if they complied with some requirements: having arrived to the US before turning 16 years of age, having lived in the country for 5 uninterrupted years, having no criminal record… that is just part of it. When they say that young people are the future, they are thinking in everything that those youngsters could achieve with some opportunities.

Marco Rubio himself, Senator from the State of Florida and a member of the Republican Party, commented that, had his story been different, he would have also crossed the border illegally just so he could offer a better life for his family.

Another piece of information: the latest researches show that the majority of patents registered in American universities are for products created by people who were born outside of the United States. Areas like Technology, Engineering and Mathematics owe 76% of their advances to foreigners. How would a country without immigrants grow? How would a country be without brain drain?

With the ruling of S.B. 1070's Law in Arizona and similar regulations in other American states, the immigrant flow dropped considerably; this data is backed up by many studies about the issue in the last 5 years: The great migration has ended.

Living in the border all my life I've always wondered why they didn't ask for documents when entering Mexico. How would that parallel world be?

Some will probably tell me to be realistic, that people really want to go to the US and embrace the American dream, but I also ask them to consider all possible scenarios.

Would you approve of a Law like S.B. 1070?

How would you guarantee the protection of your patrimony?

brenda.colon@sandiegored.com

Original Text : Brenda Colón

Translation : Karen B.