Amid all the huffing and puffing over Arizona’s new immigration law, SB 1070, this poll by Kos was the only one that I’ve seen that makes an outright and patently false statement about the law as its central premise. Not that false statements have been uncommon, actually they haven’t, but this time the falsehood was actually inside a poll question.

Arizona now requires anyone passing through or living in their state to carry papers proving citizenship that can be produced at the command of any law enforcement officers. Do you approve or disapprove of this requirement?

Oops, it doesn’t do that. These are the main sections of the law pertaining to carrying documents:

Sec. 3. Title 13, chapter 15, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 13-1509, to read:
13-1509. Willful failure to complete or carry an alien registration document; assessment; exception; authenticated records; classification

In other words, the federal statute requiring all aliens in the United States to carry their papers is now an Arizona crime.

There is also a section saying that certain documents are taken as proof of citizenship:

A PERSON IS PRESUMED TO NOT BE AN ALIEN WHO IS UNLAWFULLY PRESENT IN THE UNITED STATES IF THE PERSON PROVIDES TO THE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER OR AGENCY ANY OF THE FOLLOWING:

1. A VALID ARIZONA DRIVER LICENSE.

2. A VALID ARIZONA NONOPERATING IDENTIFICATION LICENSE.

3. A VALID TRIBAL ENROLLMENT CARD OR OTHER FORM OF TRIBAL IDENTIFICATION.

4. IF THE ENTITY REQUIRES PROOF OF LEGAL PRESENCE IN THE UNITED STATES BEFORE ISSUANCE, ANY VALID UNITED STATES FEDERAL, STATE OR LOCAL GOVERNMENT ISSUED IDENTIFICATION.

However, this just means that these documents absolve a person of any suspicion they are an illegal alien. No one is "required" to carry them. You can say, maybe, that they might be motivated to carry them just in case they get stopped for a broken tail light and the police officer suspects the passengers are illegal aliens. It could happen, and lack of ID might then result in a longer traffic stop. I know people that won’t leave their NYC apartment without ID for similar reasons relating to NYPD. But there is no requirement. That is just flat out and completely wrong.

This falsity is even more evidence that leftism is not the way to go on immigration. Media blowhards are in league with both big business and with liberals on this issue. They know that the common people want the Birthright Citizenship Act. They know that keeping track of illegal aliens is important to our national interest. They know that people do not want illegal aliens to receive free public education, free non-emergency medical care, and free welfare. We do need action on immigration reform this year, but only so we can pass what Americans really want.