Whitney Drake

I’ve been working on this post for the better part of this last week. Started it, scrapped it, and continued to feel compelled to write it- even though I know I couldn’t detach myself from it the way that I knew I should when discussing a subject this controversial. This probably isn’t my best writing. I am sure that there are grammatical errors and typos. But I’ve written this, and I’ve put it out there, and I can move on with my writing. -W

I love Arizona. I was born there, and while I love California, I feel such a deep connection to the Sonoran Desert and the land of my fore-fathers… I’m getting ahead of myself. My mother’s family has lived in Arizona for some time. How long? My ancestors were conquistadors who settled in what would become Arizona. My great-grandfather was a rancher as well as a lawman. I’ve been proud of my Arizonan heritage. When asked to do school reports, I liked to choose Arizona, covering different facets of its history. I even considered moving to Arizona, despite the fact that it’s political climate is very conservative and I am not.

However, I am deeply disturbed by the law recently passed by Arizona’s legislature and signed by the governor that makes illegal status a state crime. The law (and it’s amendment) give state and local lawmen the power to ask an individual their immigration status and to detain them if they cannot.

Originally published at The Fabulous Whitney Drake. You can comment here or there.