Racial profiling is despicable. That law should never pass. And why should cops go around asking such a question at random anyway?

Sorry, but if it works, it works.

Collecting facts, and applying known information to predict the outcome, is not a bad idea.

In the case of a plane and looking for a bomber.. I would agree that if the policy was "pull all dark people with black hair out and check them", that would be bad. Meaning if you have two flights, one with all blond people and you checked no one, and a flight with all brown people, so you check everyone, that's bad.

But if you have a system where you are going to check 10 people each flight, it would makes since to start with those that best fit the description of a bomber. If I have 8 people that look like me, and I am in charge of searching them, they will be 8 of the 10 people I search.

What's despicable, is not using evidence that would better save 300 peoples lives, just because it's not politically correct.

How can you tell the difference from a hispanic person and an illegal spanish person though?  Look for people with "I'm from Mexico" T-shirts?

I mean, with suicide bombers and stuff there are actual other cues you can tell... illegal aliens... I can't see what that would be.

Alright, Mafoo what if you had a small paper cut and a trace amount of blood on your shirt cuff they demanded to know where that blood came from and if you can't answer it to their satisfaction they haul you to the station until you can prove you didn't murder somebody and it's just blood from your paper cut?

Being hispanic is not the same as having a shirt drenched in blood. But This law in essence gives them the power to do that to anybody of hispanic ethnicity. Hell or any ethnicity, or happen to have an accent. And for somebody who is such a fan of slippery slope arguments and immense distrust of corrupt government authority, I'm surprised you have so much faith in police to not abuse this power. This gives them the ability to stop nearly anyone and demand proper identification or proof of citizenship to their satisfaction....yeah, no way that could get abused.

This won't get passed but it's insane that they would even try.

One minute you don't want government involve into ourlives, the next minute you want them searching for people all over the place.

Actually... it already passed.  It's sitting on the govoners desk right now.

Interesting issue.

I am against unwarranted search of a person merely if they are an illegal. Now, if they are suspected of other crimes, or reported for potentially being an illegal...That is fine.

However, if your getting frisked by the cops just because you look like something...That is too far. What happens when this law changes from 'may be illegal alien' to 'may be enemy of the state for holding to belief X.Y.Z'?

Illegal immigration can be fixed cleanly, without the need of such invasive reforms.

Generally?  Being extremely nervous or ridiculiously calm and serious.   Staring at security guards or trying to avoid their gaze... basic tells.

This is quite interesting. It's even more interesting that it is supported by republicans, the greatest "keep government out of my life" type of people. I mean, seriously, how can you justify your argument about how government shouldn't meddle in your money, when it can meddle with your body as much as it wants?

To put it in the words of someone who is wiser in these matters than any of us:

"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both."