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"In a state where more than 30% of the population is Hispanic, many feel the sting of racism in the new law." Thus CBS' John Blackstone covered the signs of backlash against Friday's Story of the Day, the signing of Arizona's immigration law, which requires police to stop and search individuals, citizens and non-citizens alike, reasonably suspected of lacking proper residency papers. All individuals will be required to carry such papers at all times. Back on Friday, both CBS and ABC consulted their in-house legal experts concerning the law's legitimacy. "The Supreme Court has ruled that police cannot stop people based solely on their Mexican appearance so it appears that that could be a real problem under the Constitution," opined CBS' Jan Crawford (at the tail of the Whitaker videostream). "The Constitution gives to Congress exclusive authority to determine who is in this country legally and who is not," ABC's Terry Moran pointed out, calling the law "fraught with Constitutional problems."
To be fair, all three networks did publicize Gov Jan Brewer's proclamation, when she signed the law on Friday, that the law was completely colorblind. "I will not tolerate racial discrimination or racial profiling in Arizona," was how ABC's Mike von Fremd quoted the Republican governor. "I do not know what an illegal immigrant looks like," was her soundbite from CBS' Bill Whitaker. NBC used Jose Diaz-Balart of its sibling network Telemundo. "Racial profiling is illegal," was his quote from Gov Brewer.
CBS' Blackstone did mention that preventing violent crime was one motive for Arizona's law. On NBC, Kevin Tibbles pointed to two other proposed crimefighting solutions from Chicago, where the homicide rate is 15% higher than this time last year: "Almost as many people have been killed on the streets of Chicago so far this year as US troops have been killed fighting the two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan." The two tolls are 116 and 127. Mayor Richard Daley wants tighter gun control laws. State Sen John Fritchley wants to call in the National Guard.
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