Neighbor Against Neighbor?

The House of Representatives just passed an immigration bill - the Sensenbrenner-King bill (HR 4437) - by a vote of 233 to 189. It is now on its way to the Senate. On the surface, it sounds like a great bill that would enhance our border security. Actually, it does address our nation's border issues with a lot of helpful tools, particularly when it comes to would-be terrorists. However, there is one portion of the bill that just didn't sit well with me, and that's Title II (Sec. 205):

SEC. 205. MANDATORY SENTENCING RANGES FOR PERSONS AIDING OR ASSISTING CERTAIN REENTERING ALIENS.

Section 277 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1327) is amended--

(1) by striking `Any person' and inserting `(a) Subject to subsection (b), any person'; and

(2) by adding at the end the following:

`(b)(1) Any person who knowingly aids or assists any alien violating section 276(b) to reenter the United States, or who connives or conspires with any person or persons to allow, procure, or permit any such alien to reenter the United States, shall be fined under title 18, United States Code, imprisoned for a term imposed under paragraph (2), or both.

`(2) The term of imprisonment imposed under paragraph (1) shall be within the range to which the reentering alien is subject under section 276(b).'.

Basically, this has the potential to turn our nation into a police state. If your neighbor employs illegal aliens, and you know about it, you can go to jail. It becomes your duty to rat out your neighbor. No, more than a duty. A "duty" implies that you have a choice to make, and you do your duty out of conscience. Now, if you don't turn your neighbor in, you'll go down with him. That's called coercion, and it has no place in our society. We do things because they are honorable, not because we are forced to.

Do I sound a bit extreme? I hope so. Sure, this probably won't be an issue now. No one will no about the law and things will go on as they have been for years. But when the next terrorist strike comes, or when someone in power decides to make an example out of a political enemy, there are now very scary laws to make it happen. Do you have someone living with you that's a foreigner? Expect to be harassed. Do your racist neighbors hate the new Mexican family down the street? Well, now they can "turn them in." This is un-American. And again, while no one would do this now (at least we hope not), if things get paranoid enough - your neighborhood will go downhill, and fast.

Again, I normally try to avoid being so alarmist. But Brigham Young prophesized that in the very last days, "state will turn against state, neighbor against neighbor and mothers against their daughters." I'll post the reference when I get a chance. But a prophet of the Lord has told us this would happen. And of course we know that things will get worse in our day before the Lord comes. Surely this crazy scenario has a good chance of becoming a reality.