I was on the front page of Arizona Republic (the big newspaper here in the Phoenix Metro area) talking about the new immigration law passed in my home state. Being a legal immigrant to the United States a reporter contacted me via Twitter to see if I’d be willing to share my thoughts. I did but I didn’t realize the article was going to be front and center. And what do you know, when the photographer arrived he caught me in my Red Pear hunk pose wearing the I <3 Red Pear T-shirt. Time now to drive to Tempe to collect my big fat check! Here is a screen shot:
In case you’re wondering here is what I said about the new immigration law:
Shailesh Ghimire, 35, of Gilbert, has no problem with local police checking a person’s immigration status, but he wants to see if officers abide by training in using proper procedures.
A citizen of Nepal, he has had a green card for the past seven years and carries it wherever he goes. He said he wouldn’t be offended if he were asked for proof of legal residency. “I have nothing to hide,” he said.
At the same time, Ghimire, an Internet-marketing specialist and frequent traveler, has seen how international-airline passengers are regarded with undue suspicion when they aren’t White.
“I can see both sides (of the immigration issue),” he said.
His biggest concern, however, is that the law will fail to address what he sees as a main contributor to illegal immigration: employers hiring illegal immigrants.
Since 2008, Arizona has had an employer-sanctions law that makes it illegal to knowingly hire undocumented workers. The new immigration law makes a few clarifications to the 2008 law but no major changes.
Ghimire said Arizona needs even tougher, zero-tolerance enforcement against employers hiring illegal immigrants if the state wants to discourage people from staying in the U.S.
I’ve blogged about this issue on my other blog ThisNepaliLife in case you’re interested. And please only thoughtful comments. Ideological regurgitation of opinion is not considered thoughtful in my book.
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