At Least Six States Less Racist Than Arizona

It's been close to a year since Arizona passed SB-1070 — the anti-immigration law that encourages racial profiling and can land a cop in jail if they don't do it — and several states were supposed ride the wave of hate and pass similar bills. But, as Muzaffar Chishti from the Migration Policy Institute told the Los Angeles Times, "Now I think reality has set in."

Even in Arizona, racist windbag State Senate president Russell Pearce can't get enough votes for his plan to have teachers and social workers snitch on people who they think might be illegal immigrants. The next great hope for angry old white people was Utah, and even that state has put forth a watered-down version of SB-1070. From the LAT:

The one state whose Legislature has passed an Arizona-style law, Utah, only approved a diluted bill accompanied by another measure that goes in a dramatically different direction.

The Utah Legislature on Friday voted to create ID cards for "guest workers" and their families, provided they pay a fine and don't commit serious crimes. Immigrants who entered the country illegally would be fined up to $2,500. Immigrants who entered the country legally but were not complying with federal immigration law would be fined $1,000.

Aww, poor Mr. Pearce can't get enough people on board with his brand of anti-anyone-who's-not-white zealotry. It's easy to stoke xenophobia, but writing and enacting laws is a whole different story.

[Image via Getty]