As a former police officer in El Paso, TX, we had to deal with alot of illegal aliens. It was pretty much policy that we could not stop and detain based SOLELY on the suspicion of their residential status, but once lawfully detained, ie. suspicious subject, criminal offense, then yes we could inquire about it. Most of the time, especially id the offense was a class c misdemeanor (minor) we would simply take them to a Border Patrol processing center for them to be deported back. It was a standing joke that they would be back in the US before we finished our shift.

The arguments I keep hearing against the Arizona law is that it somehow lends itself to the POTENTIAL of abuse and racial profiling. It relies on the officers’ assessment of PROBABLE CAUSE, which is the basis for law enforcement overall. If officers are entrusted with disseminating probable cause on a daily basis for its citizens, from felonies on downwards, why the sudden mistrust of their sense of probable cause in relation to the Arizona law? Every aspect of our system lends itself to abuse, and the system also is pretty adamant of determining of the officers used probable cause. Your average officer on the street is honorable will be concerned with probable cause, I cant envision a band of “Illegal Alien” hunter teams that set out from each shift meeting in search of illegals.

As far as this mosque issue, I just feel that maybe a more neutral, multi cultural type center would be more apropos. I’m not crazy about a mosque in that particular site, but I’m not in favor of any one religion, one culture type facility in that location either. Lets take EVERYONES feelings, especially those that had personal loss on 911 into account and not rush to show how “progressive” we are by throwing up a mosque or Muslim related facility up without thinking it through.