EXCLUSIVE: Email From Author Of Arizona Law Reveals Intent To Cast Wide Net Against Latinos

[kpete]

Source: Think Progress

EXCLUSIVE: Email From Author Of Arizona Law Reveals Intent To Cast Wide Net Against Latinos

Kris Kobach of the Immigration Reform Law Institute.
..................

Wonk Room recently obtained an email written by Kris Kobach, a lawyer at the Immigration Reform Law Institute — the group which credits itself with writing the bill — to Arizona state Sen. Russell Pierce (R), urging him to include language that will allow police to use city ordinance violations such as “cars on blocks in the yard” as an excuse to “initiate quieries” in light of the “lawful contact” deletion:

kobachemail


To begin with, Kobach’s correspondence affirms that though the bill was proposed and passed in Arizona, the shots are being called by a small group of lawyers whose office is based in Washington, DC. It also indicates that after vigorously defending his bill and its “lawful contact provision” in the New York Times, Kobach may have had second thoughts about the constitutionality of the bill he prides himself with writing.

More importantly, Kobach is basically admitting to Pearce that by allowing police to use the violation of “any county or municipal ordinance” as a basis for inquiring about a person’s immigration status, the bill will still cast a wide enough net to help offset the effect of omitting the “lawful contact” language which would’ve allowed police to ask just about anyone they encounter about their immigration status. The examples Kobach provides, “cars on blocks in the yard” or “too many occupants of a rental accommodation,” suggest that net will mostly end up being cast over the poor.

Update In an email to Wonk Room, David Leopold -- president-elect of the American Immigration Lawyers Association -- wrote:

Kobach’s email to Pearce is chilling. Knowing full well that the phrase “lawful contact” must go (a flip flop from the position he took yesterday in the New York Times) he recommends tweaking the law in a manner that would appear to allow profiling. Why else would he be interested in using property or rental codes to ferret out undocumented people? Is he aware of some credible study that shows unauthorized aliens from say Ireland or Canada, or some other country tend to put their cars on blocks and/or overcrowd apartments? Kris Kobach and Senator Pearce owe Arizonans and the nation an immediate explanation. Note: it appears the email was written by Kobach on Wednesday evening before his op-ed ran in the New York Times the next morning. The op-ed argued that the Arizona law as written was legal. If he was working on changing it why then did he let the New York Times piece run?



Read more: http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2010/04/30/kris-kobach-email/

[Demeter]

1. You Gotta Love Them for the Enemies They Make

who then turn to the Democrats and Populists and Liberals and Progressives, and anyone who doesn't sound batshit crazy and filled of unreasoned hatred....

[justgamma]

6. Think of the hassle they will get while voting.

Thom Hartman thinks this is a voter suppressiong law. How many will vote when they know they will be hassled about it?

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

8. If they haven't already been scrubbed by Brewer...

[defendandprotect]

41. Agree . . . it really isn't enough to simply protest and ban this law . . .

Congress should be enacting measures to ensure that minorities are protected from

harassment this November at the polls!!

It's in their interest to vote -- it's in GOP/Elite interest to stop them!!

[felinetta]

42. Greg Palast is saying similar things as Thom Hartman. Repubs know they cannot

win legitimately.  They always have to be scheming. 

[Hissyspit]

46. VIDEO: Rachel Maddow's Report on Kris Kobach and FAIR

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/Hissyspit/7724

Research & Background on White-Supremacist Connections to New Law's Authors

[madokie]

77. Jimminy crickets

These mo'fo's are more dangerous than the whole lot of illegal immigrants. This shit has got to be stopped and the only way it can be is if we, first know about it and second we demand that laws be changed where needed and made where none exist. We need an honest Press really really bad, like in the worst way.

Thanks to the good folks here at du I've come full circle on my feelings concerning this issue. For that I love the DU and the good people who brought it and the ones who are participants.

Are you a reporter and if not then why not? You'd do us all proud if you were and I'm not talking about only the souls here, I'm talking about our country as a whole.

I have a hope and that is that one day you will be working on the maddow crew.
peace and have a good day, you're appreciated very much.

[UndertheOcean]

2. Chilling . n/t

[Dappleganger]

27. It truly is hard for me to wrap my mind around this kind of bigotry.

[xchrom]

3. Recommend

[Oceansaway]

4. K&R...n/t

[certainot]

5. and the shits are selling it on 1000 radio stations

that's where the signs need to be waved- at those limbaugh hannuty stations wher ethe racism and support for arizona racists flies all day long.

and how many of those stations do the state university athletic programs as well?

[PSPS]

7. This tends to affirm that this law is really a voter-caging scheme.

The drafting of such a law "by a small group of lawyers whose office is based in Washington, DC" is an important revelation, especially when we've seen other states, where the GOP's hold on power depends so heavily on voter suppression, jump on the same bandwagon.

[lonestarnot]

9. Vote suppressionist, biggoted, classist, racist attempts at social control.

[Holy Moly]

10. The Wizard of Az behind the curtain

[ArizonaLiberal]

30. Speaking of the Grand Wizard of Az....

Here is our local Sheriff with his chief deputy, our county attorney, and the paper snatching deputy starring in The Grand Wizard of Az.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdZ3fqx3H_Y

[Solly Mack]

11. K&R

[ixion]

12. Yes, it's a racist law

I think that's pretty apparent, no matter who wrote it.

[That Is Quite Enough]

13. Where, now, are the stupid fuckers claiming this law isn't legalized racial profiling?

I want you to step forward and raise your hand, because I think the intent here is pretty fucking obvious as to what they were going for.

[harun]

14. DOJ needs to jump all over this. This is not what the United States is about.

[elias7]

17. Give me your tired, your poor, your hungry...

[paparush]

25. "..we'll piss on them, that's what the Statue of Bigotry says." - Lou Reed

[jillan]

15. O M F G Everyone is going after Brewer, the person we (Az) need to go after is

this ASSHOLE


Russell Pearce

He has been writing insane legislation in this state for as long as I can remember BUT he is Mormon, lives in a suburb where there is a huge Mormon population and he keeps getting re-elected, re-elected, re-elected.

Maybe, finally MY prayers will be answered and this lunatic will be exposed for the heartless, racist that he is.

He's already taken away from the poor and disabled, guess hispanics were next on his list.

[Name removed]

23. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

43. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[UTUSN]

16. K&R #22 n/t

[Ozymanithrax]

18. "Living while Hispanic" under any other name, is as racist...

No matter how they tweak the words, the intent and the meaning are the same.

This also puts police in a difficult situation, investigating littering and nuisance complaints as if they were building code inspectors.

[nashville_brook]

19. JEEZ -- why not make possession of cilantro a felony?

[EvolveOrConvolve]

20. I wish they'd posted the actual email instead of a screen cap - it's disappointing that they didn't

A screen shot doesn't mean much. I could create one in about 10 minutes that appears to be from Rush Limbaugh to Laura Ingraham advocating forced re-education of all gay people. I'd like to see the full email with headers and all - that way we can say with a certainty that it's not a fake.

Not that I don't believe the email is real - these people are racist assholes. I'd just like to be able to verify it.

[proud2BlibKansan]

21. Here's Kobach's website

Don't see an email address though

http://www.kriskobach.org/index.html

On edit, found this: [e-mail]

[EvolveOrConvolve]

22. I don't really need the email address

What I really want to see is the actual email that was sent so that I can analyze its headers to verify its authenticity. I hate when we get burned (remember Dan Rather?)

[NJCher]

48. how would you be able to analyze the headers

Can you explain a little bit on how you would be able to look it over for authenticity?


Cher

[EvolveOrConvolve]

63. There are several things to look for

First, the email and its headers be run through one of numerous tools on the internet that check it for validity.

Second, a manual eyeball of the headers can be done to see if it matches the specifications setup for email in the U.S. This is laborious (http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc822), but can be more thorough than an automatic scan.

Third, things like spoofed emails are sometimes easily identifiable (especially if created by an amateur) because they contain obvious errors or omissions in the email headers.

Fourth, if the email was sent by someone using an account with the same name (Kris Kobach) setup for the purpose of creating a fake email, but that doesn't match the account actually used by Mr. Kobach, this could also be seen in the headers.

Fifth, the IP addresses in the header can sometimes be helpful in determining information about the email, sender, receiver, etc. If, for example the email was sent and received on the same IP address, that could potentially point to the email being a fake (it was sent and received on the same computer). Also, if the headers were faked, the IP addresses probably would show that.

Sixth, IP addresses show locations of sender and receiver (but only in general - this isn't as set in stone as it should be). For example, if the IP addresses in the header show it to have originated in Barrow, Alaska and received in Freetown, Sierra Leone, it's probably a fake.

In short, for those of us who have looked at lots of email headers, an amateur attempting to create a fake would leave behind huge clues that would make the authenticity of the email glaringly apparent.

[ArizonaLiberal]

34. Phoenix New Times called Kobach to ask.........

"I called Kobach's office, and he got back to me saying he could not "confirm or deny" that the e-mail is his, nor could he comment on any such e-mails, as they would be "protected by attorney-client privilege.""

http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/bastard/2010/04/ricky_martin_blasts_arizona_bi.php

Half way down the page.

[cosmicone]

69. Anyone savvy enough can create a real email with headers etc. as well n/t

[EvolveOrConvolve]

73. Sure, but it's usually the amateurs who try to pass off the fakes

I believe it's true because of Kobach's non-response, but it's always good to verify.

[paparush]

24. This 'law' is pure voter intimidation and suppression.

[Name removed]

31. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[proud2BlibKansan]

33. And just how are they going to vote?

[EFerrari]

36. There is no record whatsoever of undocumented people voting

no matter what the RW talking heads say. It's a fantasy.

[Jazzgirl]

57. What you are saying makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

How the hell are they going to vote if they are illegal? They are usually afraid of being exposed as illegal. They do not show up at voting polls to vote. You are perpetuating a falsehood that doesn't exist.

Enjoy your stay.

[paparush]

65. I'm saying that the law's purpose is to intimidate and disenfranchise Latinos

Yes, a few illegals will be rounded up and deported.

But, many more legal Latino citizens will feel less free, more scrutinized, more susceptible to right wing propaganda that tells them "you cannot vote".

[asdjrocky]

26. Kept, you are on this.

Good work in bringing us all this information.

[hedgehog]

28. Well, at least he didn't go after people with couches on their porches.....

I'll have to warn my husband about the car he has up on blocks in front of our chicken coop.....


I figure we're OK with the old yellow Pontiac back in the woods - it's not on blocks...

[Iliyah]

29. Ya think

this will make it to the main stream media, I think not, but if it was done by a Dem, progressive, liberal, et al., it would be all over the news. Palin (which I'm tired of seeing on my t.v. or even hearing about her), Beck (Mr. Coo Coo), Rush (Mr. total insane), and the rest of the GOP/tea baggers, i.e. conservative, would be lining up and the media would eat it up.

Anyways, where are the tea baggers? Oh yes, still crying about HIR (which will help them). Not protesting Wall Street, etc., oh wait, their masters, the big corporations instructed them not to. You see, they are the private army for the corporations/GOP.

[AlbertCat]

47. Egg- zackly

My lily white, red neck, probably Teabagger, dogs barking all night (unless the fat angry woman in stretch shorts and a tank top isn't yelling and talking loudly at 3:00 AM) neighbors have a truck on blocks in the back yard full of junk and some guy living in one of their out buildings. Shouldn't they be questioned?


Meanwhile, the Hispanic family across the street have a garden full of flowers, and 3 beautiful daughters playing with their dog on the manicured lawn.

[Captain Hilts]

32. This is like trying to fight the Civil War without using Irish troops. Idiots. nt

[Iliyah]

35. Illegals

can not vote, period, no matter what country they are from. Could this be another ploy from the right b/c we all know many of the people who vote GOP believe whatever the GOP say is gospel.

[Sebastian Doyle]

37. I don't know what Kris Kobach's middle name is.

But I'll bet it starts with a "K". Even if he wasn't born that way, he probably changed it, just to have initials that fit him.

[Jakes Progress]

38. Nice to have a little proof, but

did anyone really think this was about anything other than pure bigotry and fear? Any pundit or politician or policeman who said it was is just lying. I don't even think there is much denial going on. These people are just lying because they know they are wrong - frightened sheep who are wrong.

[EFerrari]

39. The more I think about it, the more it seems to be about

enhancing the mechanisms that suppress the Latino vote.

You know, in many if not most Latino cultures, there is a fine tradition of political activism. Remember when the election was contested in Mexico, the people were out on the streets for MONTHS. MONTHS.

So, why is it that when we come here all of a sudden, we don't vote? That needs to be interrogated.

[my2sense]

40. If this was truly about immigration they would write laws to put

EMPLOYERS out of business for hiring undocumented workers. More of the same old racist BS.

[harun]

60. +1, be a cold day in hell before Repukes go after employers.

[fascisthunter]

44. the American Fascist Movement

they represent everything Americans fought against in WWII.

[troubledamerican]

72. New "Papers Please" National ID Card/Fingerprints proposal - from Dem Sen. Chuck "Pro-Alito" Schumer

http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0430/dems-immigration-national-id-card/

This story makes me sick to be a Democrat

[olegramps]

74. I understand your concerns, however....

Many advocate that the crux of the problem is companies hiring illegal immigrants and the solution is enforcing the laws that make this illegal. The question is how can this be done without some means of absolutely determining if a person is a citizen? To get a driver's license in my state you have to have a Social Security number and produce a birth certificate or other documentation that proves that you are in the country legally.

I would not object to having a National Identity Card, but I would like to hear from those who oppose it and why they do so. Some I understand fear that it could lead to "Papers Please." However, could it be written in such a way that it could only be used for the very specific purposes? Some of our legislators apparently believe that it is the only effective way to curtail the hiring of illegal immigrants. I believe that it is the greedy business owners who are primarily responsible for this disastrous situation and they would likely opposite it solely in order to continue ot exploit these desperate people. Don't we exacerbate the situation when we allow our companies to out-source jobs in order to take advantage of foreign workers? Its kind like a two-pronged attack. One domestic and one internationally.

[Grins]

45. This is Kris Kobach

Where's the "Top-10 Conservative Idiots" when you need them? Meet Kris Kobach.

Advisor to Mitt Romney on immigration issues.
A former top aide to John Ashcroft.
Former Chairman of the Kansas GOP.
Recently hired by Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
Wants the U.S. military to be sent to the Mexican border to enforce security.
The Wichita Eagle editorial board awarded him the, “Hannibal Lecter 50-State Strategy Award for "extraordinary achievement in the area of public fiascoes, flops and foolishness."
When he ran for Congress his campaign received $10,000 in donations from the U.S. Immigration Reform PAC, chaired by Mary Lou Tanton, whose husband, John Tanton, publishes The Social Contract, edited by Wayne Lutton. Lutton is also associate editor and book review editor for The Occidental Quarterly, a publication that civil rights groups say is a white supremacist organ. The quarterly's mission statements says, in part: "Immigration into the United States should be restricted to selected people of European ancestry."

His Immigration Reform Law Institute reportedly a front group for Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) recently added to the hate group list of the distinguished Southern Poverty Law Center.

Now is this guy a Republican or what!

[Richard Steele]

49. K&R

[SargeUNN]

50. Good gosh We here from Arizona have been telling

all about this bill since it started being discussed. Maybe this is one of those times when people on the scene actually know huh?

[gristy]

51. I love the "Thanks!" used to close the letter

:puke:

Not to mention to incorrect use of "i.e.". But maybe Kobach did indeed mean to specifically target homeowners or renters with "cars on blocks" and only "cars on blocks" in the yard. Maybe the guy across the street from his house has some "cars on blocks" and he's just damn tired of it?

[Moosepoop]

56. No.

"This will allow police to use violations of property codes (ie. cars on blocks in the yard) or rental codes (too many occupants of a rental accommodation) to initiate queries as well."

His words.

The intent is not to target the "cars on blocks," it's to use them as an excuse to "intiate queries" concerning immigration status. Period.

[gristy]

58. Post edited to make my intent clear

I agree with you.

[mwb970]

52. Which way does the Statue Of Liberty face?

Not towards Arizona, I assume.

[Bluebear]

55. She's facing the sea, as if to say "Get me out of here!"

:(

[Zoeisright]

53. Why am I not surprised?

Those assholes are pure bigots.

[Liberal_in_LA]

54. wow. Thanks for posting this

[knixphan]

59. K&R

[Rozlee]

61. My son was racially profiled.

This was when he was about 13 and we lived in a predominantly white neighborhood and we were one of the few Latino families. I was a single mom at the time and this was in spite of the fact that he was half Anglo. He just looked more Hispanic than Anglo. He was stopped twice by the same cop. Know how I made sure it never happened again? I called his sergeant at the precinct and told him I was worried about this cop that was stopping my kid and eyeballing his butt. But, tell me why my son, who was a good kid making good grades in school, was profiled while the dirtbags next door, who had obvious drug traffic coming and going at all hours never were? I'm so furious about all this. Cars on blocks. Too many people in an apartment! How about guys that wear bandannas? Can he put that in the language? Or guys that put brillantine on their hair? Wait a minute. Scratch that last one. That one they can deport.

[8 track mind]

67. I'm rather glad i'm not

vacationing in Arizona this year. I've gone to the Grand Canyon to camp and ride the back roads on the dirt bike for six years straight. I drive an old Chevy cargo van with loud pipes, fat tires and tinted windows. I'm white, but my van would make me an instant target in that state thanks to this new law.

[RayOfHope]

62. This whack job is a professor at UMKC and is trying to do the same thing in MO n/t

[proud2BlibKansan]

75. He lives in Kansas and is running for sec of state

I didn't know he was involved in MO politics as well.

[PavePusher]

64. I'm not sure how you read "latino" in that e-mail...

but however you did it, the racism and stereotype seems to reside in you.

[cosmicone]

70. Oh come on ...

"cars on blocks in yard" or multiple residents in a rental dwelling specifically targets poor people. Since >70% of poor people in Arizona are latinos, it is intended to go after them. I doubt they would challenge the citizenship of poor African Americans or whites .... do you doubt that?

[proud2BlibKansan]

76. Kobach was interviewed on local TV

and talked about cops pulling over a minivan with 15 passengers.

Tell me that isn't implied racism.

[cosmicone]

79. I think you meant to respond to PavePusher ... I'm on your side! n/t

[PavePusher]

82. What? Was every single one of the passangers of a single ethnicity?

Was this ethnicity apparent from outside the vehicle?

Or did it just look like the van was loaded beyond legal capacity?

Or is this a common way for illegals to be transported?

Illegal immigrants come in all colors, shapes, sizes, genders, and ethnicities. It is undeniable that the majority coming from the Mexican border would be Latino/Hispanic/Mexican/Buzz-word-of-the-day. This no more equates to racism than saying that most illegals from Eastern Europe would be "white".

[AsahinaKimi]

66. These people are

disqusting. meh..

[marmar]

68. Quelle surprise !!!!

nt

[mwrguy]

71. Since when is putting cars up on blocks a Hispanic thing?

Sounds like the author in the OP is doing some profiling if his own, or at least stereotyping.

Cars on blocks are likely as not put there by mullet-wearing white trash crackers.

[hollowdweller]

78. Someone explain something to me?????????????

OK, so I've not looked at the demographics but just guessing I'd say Arizona has a large hispanic population??

SO, how the hell does something like this get passed over that much of the population? Do they not vote or what??

I mean I can see how a hispanic legal resident could be against the illegals. I can't see them wanting something like this?

Would gun owners be for a bill that gave law enforcement the right to pull over cars with NRA stickers to shake them down for illegal weapons??

This puzzles me just like the fact there's so many black people in Miss. yet overwhelmingly their politicians are hostile to civil rights.

[DallasNE]

81. It Looks Like ACORN Has Their Work Cut Out For Them

Oh, wait. They went out of business when Congress cut off funding based on a couple of doctored tapes. Obama even signed the damn law.

Lack of transportation to polls keeps poor people from voting. It is one thing to take a cab to the grocery store for needed items and quite another to spend those dollars taking a cab to the polls to vote. Polls are also an intimidating item for those who have not voted before. Lastly, there is a perception in poor neighborhoods that police hover around polling places adding another level of intimidation. The reasons may not seem valid to you and I but, believe me, in the poor neighborhoods perception is reality and that leads to very low voter participation in those neighborhoods.

[PavePusher]

83. I will bet you a dollar that cars with NRA stickers...

generally aren't brimming over with illegal immigrants.

Unless they are trying a new camoflauge, and I missed the memo...

[DallasNE]

80. The Right Wing Is, Of Course, Claiming This

E-mail is a fake based on IP addresses. Is there some way to authenicate this e-mail?