AZ & Nazi Germany ??? Your Papers Please

Dem: Ariz. law like ‘Nazi Germany’
By: Kasie Hunt
April 26, 2010 04:04 PM EDT

A Colorado Democrat says Arizona is on its way to becoming a “police state” and its new immigration law is “reminiscent” of Nazi Germany.

“It is absolutely reminiscent of second class status of Jews in Germany prior to World War II when they had to have their papers with them at all times and were subject to routine inspections at the suspicion of being Jewish,” Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo), who is Jewish, told POLITICO.

“I fear that Arizona is headed for a police state and it really underscores the need for immigration reform at the federal level to fix our system,” he said.

Arizona’s new immigration law, signed last week by Gov. Jan Brewer (R), requires police officers to ask people for identification papers if they have “reasonable suspicion” to believe that someone is an undocumented immigrant. The law has sparked protests across the country and reignited a national debate over comprehensive immigration reform.

Polis was careful to point out he was not comparing the law to the Holocaust but rather to the period before the war when Jews were required to carry papers and identify themselves publicly.

“I think it’s a very fair comparison and I hope that we’re not headed on the same trajectory that Nazi Germany was,” Polis said. “But this was a very recent experience for Jewish Americans and Jews worldwide and it’s something that when we see similarities we start ringing alarm bells.”

Polis also said the politics underpinning the Arizona law would keep Jews firmly in the Democratic political camp.

“Many Jews have been uneasy with President Obama’s policy on Israel…but when they see scary policies, endorsed by mainstream Republicans, signed into law by mainstream Republicans, like this Arizona law, it means the only choice for Jewish voters is the Democratic Party,” he said.

Arizona Sen. John McCain (R) has called the Arizona law a “step forward” and a “good tool,” though his office has said his statements do not represent an endorsement of the law. His position is a dramatic switch from 2007, when he was a key proponent of comprehensive immigration reform.

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