The phrase "No Human Being is Illegal" raises a legitimate
point and issue. According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the
UN in 1948, everyone has a right to their own identify, and to life. Therefore, to
declare someone illegal, or under automatic suspicion of being illegal, because of their
identity, violates these
principles.
Behavior or
actions can be declared illegal, but these can be committed by
anyone. The phrase also likely refers to the ethical argument for unrestricted
immigration - that there are jobs available for immigrant workers here, and people are
moving here to escape economic poverty, so to deny them entry is to deny them economic
sustenance, and therefore their right to exist on Planet
Earth.
Global citizenship is an unrealistic dream, but we
can realistically move closer to that and already are in some ways. In the European
Union, citizens of many countries share the same rights and may travel freely within the
zone with little or no identification. We also encourage a move towards global
citizenship when we champion and practice economic globalization, because it removes
economic boundaries between countries, and political ones become more transparent when
that happens.
The problem with the Arizona law where this
concept is concerned is that it empowers and requires law enforcement to verify
citizenship, and allows them to ask for verification based on mere suspicion.
Therefore, to be Latino in Arizona makes you an automatic suspect, while it is much less
likely they will be profiling white male Canadians.
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