Polis equates immigration law to Nazi Germany
April 27th, 2010
A new law in Arizona that empowers law enforcement to do the job of the federal government and enforce immigration laws has drawn its share of controversy in the past week. Now comes Representative Jared Polis with dire warnings saying Arizona may be heading toward a police state akin to Nazi Germany.
In an interview with Politico, the representative for Colorado’s Congressional District 2 which includes most of Thornton had some pretty powerful words. He told the site:
“It is absolutely reminiscent of second class status of Jews in Germany prior to World War II when they had to have their papers with them at all times and were subject to routine inspections at the suspicion of being Jewish,” Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo), who is Jewish, told POLITICO.
“I fear that Arizona is headed for a police state and it really underscores the need for immigration reform at the federal level to fix our system,” he said.
….
Polis was careful to point out he was not comparing the law to the Holocaust but rather to the period before the war when Jews were required to carry papers and identify themselves publicly.
“I think it’s a very fair comparison and I hope that we’re not headed on the same trajectory that Nazi Germany was,” Polis said. “But this was a very recent experience for Jewish Americans and Jews worldwide and it’s something that when we see similarities we start ringing alarm bells.”
That is very stark language, particularly when we are talking about something that simply puts teeth to laws already on the books. The fact of the matter is that if the federal government were doing its job, the actions by Arizona would not even be necessary.
Something which Congressman Polis should bear in mind before drawing this comparison is that Jews were in Germany legally. That is a key point and a big difference between then and now.
The enforcement will take place against those who are in this nation illegally – they are breaking the law. Period. Actions have consequences. At least that is what I was taught.
Those that have followed the proper path to citizenship or have obtained the documentation that allows them to be here legally have nothing to worry about.
Are laws not meant to be enforced? Or are they to just be ignored if they make up a key Democratic constituency?
Of course Congressman Polis and others say this is why we need immigration reform.
Here is a novel idea: Let’s do like Arizona is going to do and simply enforce the laws we already have on the books.
The comparison by Congressman Polis is long on hyperbole and short on any sort of reasonable commentary on the topic.
As an addendum, of course it has become abundantly clear to Israel that the current administration is no longer going to stand by our only real ally in the Middle East. The Obama administration has distanced itself from the Jewish people since taking office and Jews have come to the realization that the United States is no longer the friend it once was.
Realizing that Jewish voters are very uncomfortable with recent actions by President Obama, Congressman Polis tries to steer them back to the Democratic Party using scare tactics:
“Many Jews have been uneasy with President Obama’s policy on Israel…but when they see scary policies, endorsed by mainstream Republicans, signed into law by mainstream Republicans, like this Arizona law, it means the only choice for Jewish voters is the Democratic Party,” he said.
Wow. That sounds to me like Polis is also equating Republicans to Nazis. That is a pretty low blow and entirely uncalled for. We might expect that from Nancy Pelosi but not from a representative that said he represented “mainstream Adams County.”
Is this what residents of Thornton really think? That enforcing our laws is wrong and will turn us into Nazi Germany? That Republicans that dare to expect expect consequences for violating laws are Nazis? I don’t think so.
Related:
“The fact of the matter is that if the federal government were doing its job, the actions by Arizona would not even be necessary. ”
I agree completely. The federal government’s enforcement of our immigration laws is a joke. There is rampant disregard for the rule of law. We can either keep going down this route, and yes, states like Arizona will attempt to take the law into their own hands, or we can FIX IT at the national level.
This Arizona law impacts US CITIZENS. If an officer suspects that they *might* be illegal, perhaps in part because of their race or the way they talk, the officer must demand proof of citizenship. Hundreds of thousands of American citizens unfortunate enough to live in Arizona and be of the wrong race will live in fear.
We must not attack American citizens to get at the very real an unresolved issue of illegal immigration.
COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM NOW!
ENFORCEMENT, BORDER SECURITY, REAL EMPLOYMENT VERFICATION.
I certainly didn’t compare Republicans to NAZIs, I’m not sure how you got that.
Jared Polis
Thank you as always for responding, Congressman.
“COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM NOW! ENFORCEMENT, BORDER SECURITY, REAL EMPLOYMENT VERFICATION.”
I would wholeheartedly agree with the second sentence. The first however is another issue. As I stated, we don’t need immigration “reform” – we need immigration ENFORCEMENT. The laws are on the books to solve the problem, let’s use them. That is all Arizona is doing.
Most talk of ‘reform’ includes some form of amnesty or the more politically correct term of a ‘path to citizenship.’ Seven times in the past 25 years has this been tried in one form or another for one group or another.
Most notably was the Immigration and Reform Control Act (IRCA) in 1986. Interestingly enough, if you look back at that legislation and the discussion around it, it was very similar to what today’s immigration ‘reform’ is supposed to do. We granted amnesty to over 2.5 million illegal immigrants and said we were going to crack down on the border, make employers check immigration status, and on and on.
Sounds just like what is being debated today. It didn’t work then, it won’t work now.
Regarding the commentary I made about Republicans and your statement about them. Perhaps my wording isn’t the best however you state that the Arizona law could turn the state into something akin to Nazi Germany and then draw Jewish voters’ attention to it. You say that it these are “scary policies, endorsed by mainstream Republicans, signed into law by mainstream Republicans.”
The implication to me is that this Republican endorsed policy is something that the Jewish people should be scared of given their history with Germany. I find that a wholly inappropriate parallel to draw.
Even Jeb Bush and Tom Tancredo have said that the AZ law is flawed.
Immigration is a federal issue and we need to fix it at the federal level.
Honest citizens should not have to live in constant fear just because of their race or their accent.
With regard to a fix, of course we need to do better than the flawed ’86 effort. I think that biometric ID cards showing who has permission to work, and serious universal enforcement are two ways we can finally get serious about enforcing our law, and both are being discussed as part of comprehensive immigration reform.
Jared Polis
Jared
About Tancredo… The reports that he said the bill ‘goes to far’ are not true – a fine example of the Huffington Post taking comments out of context.
He told Westword today:
“Here’s how I understand what the bill says. Someone comes in contact with local police or the local authority. Say he runs a red light, he gets caught driving erratically, driving drunk, gets called in for a disturbance — something happens. And the police ask for an ID, and it looks fake, or there’s something else that makes the officer suspicious. Maybe you can’t speak English in combination with an ID that looks fake, or something like that. I don’t know all of the criteria. But that’s what gets fleshed out. It’s not simply because of the color of your skin. So I support that, just like I support the rest of the bill.”
More here: http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2010/04/tom_tancredo_huffpo_is_wrong_a.php
Mr. Polis;
Last night I watched a movie about the NAZI/Hitler take over of Germany and the progress forward from that. You sound just like the NAZI leaders with the hog wash of propaganda that was used to seduce the German people into giving up all of their rights and following one of the most evil leaders ever recorded on this planet.
Pushing to keep our country free, sustainable and honorable is hardly a NAZI tactic. Enforcing our laws for the good of this country is not at all NAZI. But, the name calling and propaganda push you are trying to pull IS NAZI to the core.
We, as a country being lead by a traitor, are surely on the path to an even worse situation than the German people found themselves in when Hitler took over.
Perhaps you are to ignorant of the fact of history to be aware of just how far off base you are with your obvious propaganda statements. It appears that you need a good look back into history to see just what really happened during the NAZI rule. And further, a really good look back, to when there was integrity in the White House, and see what the founding fathers said about allowing illegal migrants to flood our nation and pull it down toward it’s ruin.
Take a while and read some history before you open your mouth again and make such a big fool out of yourself.
As to Arizona taking over and putting in place some rules to live by so that their citizens can even hope for safety in their own country, GOOD FOR THEM ! ! ! !
Lets all get on that band wagon and put in place laws that safeguard each and every State in this country !
Congressman Polis,
I respect the fact that you have replied to Tony’s Rant, however, your statements make it sound like the Police can pull over a person solely based on immigration status. That is 100% false. The officers can only pull a person over if they are already suspected of violating a different law. The law specifically states this fact. The police will not be driving around looking for illegals and “rounding them up”.
I hope when you talk about Immigration reform, you are not talking about AMNESTY! The people here illegally are CRIMINALS and do not deserve a free ride.
From what I’ve been seeing, most Arizonans are in agreement with the new law. They realize the burden being placed on their state by illegals. Protestors are being brought in from other states and they are not peaceful. Sounds to me like people from outside Arizona should mind their own business!
Just my .02.
Chris, you bring up the central issue with this law.
The bill WILL require police to question people about their immigration status if there is “reasonable suspicion” that the person is an undocumented immigrant. If the person can’t prove their legal immigration status they could be arrested immediately. What does reasonable suspicion entail? While it cannot solely be race or ethnicity, it can be anything as vague as “evasive behavior.”
Additionally, local police officers are not trained immigration agents. How can we expect them to know whether a person is an undocumented immigrant at a glance? Officers will inevitably use their subjective opinions to determine this, which will lead to racial profile.
This law places an unworkable mandate on local law enforcement and institutionalizes discrimination against immigrants, and is another example of why we need to pass comprehensive immigration reform immediately.
Jared Polis
Congressman Polis,
Part of the AZ bill involves training for police officer to help them in their duties. These same officers use “reasonable suspicion” everyday in the normal course of their job. Do you really think that can’t handle this too? Do you believe that people who break laws should be punished?
If a person in AZ is pulled over and shows an AZ drivers license, there is nothing more to be done. Shouldn’t every person who drives carry a drivers license on their person? If you are in AZ legally, why wouldn’t you also have a copy of those papers? I know when I’m stopped by a Police officer and he asks to search my car (I work crazy hours and drive home in the middle of the night) I always say that it isn’t a problem. Why would I say that? Could it be because I’m doing nothing wrong and have nothing to hide?
Congressman, you supported and voted for the new Health Care Law that requires everyone to show proof of health insurance or pay a fine. However, if AZ requires a person to show proof they are in the state legally, you are totally against it and say it is leading to a “Police State”?
I don’t want Immigration REFORM. I want a SECURE border and I want those that are here illegally to be DEPORTED!
Chris