Originally posted by: eskimospy
Originally posted by: Ocguy31
If you want to split hairs, all a cop needs is "reasonable suspicion" that a crime is being commited to force one to present ID. Loitering, trespassing, etc.
It is the same thing with a traffic stop. The laws are so broad and vague, that a primary stop can be made for almost anything. Cops can see a black kid in a nice neighborhood or a white guy in a nice car in a bad neighborhood at night, pull them over due to race, and then look for the real "reason" they were pulled over. Underinflated tires? Tint? Something on the mirror? No seatbelt? No front license plate?
The point is, if we ever got serious of ridding this country of illegal immigrants, we could do it. Would it inconvenience some legal immigrants? Maybe. But then again my rights are infringed on when I get my crotch grabbed at the airport or sporting events, but it is for the common good.
If you suddenly saw police undertake a large scale effort to demand ID/arrest/deport illegal immigrants by doing that sort of thing as a policy they would be sued into oblivion post haste. What you're describing definitely works well for police in isolated incidents, but it's just not usable on a large enough scale to make much of a difference.
Your rights aren't infringed upon by being felt up at the airport because it falls under the government's legitimate authority to ensure the safety of travel. Making the same argument for randomly IDing everyone who looks foreign isn't going to fly. (har har)
I have no doubt we could massively reduce the number of illegal immigrants in this country. It would be a horrible waste of energy, resources, and moral authority, but we could do it. I for one am grateful that our representatives seem to have realized this and not implemented such a policy.