An Alien

In April 2010, the Arizona state passed the severest anti-illegal immigration measure in the US
History. The law requires police to check on the persons immigration status if any reasonable
suspicion exists. If proof shows that he/shes an illegal immigrant, that individual will be
arrested. This law encourages racial profiling and racism because it considers a person guilty or
not according to the color of his skin.
The cartoon drawn by Joe Heller shows the Statue of Liberty driving a car during a sunny day in
the desert of Arizona. She has been pulled over by a police officer who asked her: I can tell by
the color of your skin youre not from around here, are you?. We can see the Statue of Liberty
annoyed by the question and thus looking away.
This cartoon relates to the immigration law enforced by the Arizona state in April 2010.
According to the law, the officer has the right to stop the Lady Libertys car and suspect her
origins. In fact, shes being considered as an illegal immigrant due to the strange color of her
skin.
In this cartoon, the drawer criticizes racism and racial profiling existing in this ridiculous law. In
fact, the color of the skin will be the only proof leading to a reasonable suspicion. The irony
here is that the Lady Liberty symbol of the USA is pulled over by a police officer in Arizona
who doesnt recognize her and begins to question her nationality. In this example, the race is
used as the root for the investigation.
Alain Daccache
Premiere S2