Posted: Jul 20, 2010 6:45 PM
Updated: Jul 21, 2010 3:24 AM
MARANA--As people opposed to S.B.1070 plan more protests against the law, a legal immigrant is speaking out in favor of Arizona's new immigration law.
Celeste Lee manages the Krispy Kreme Doughnuts at the Arizona Pavilions in Marana.
Lee is from South Africa. That's where she met and married her husband, who is a U.S. citizen. Now she's going through the process of becoming an American.
She says she never considered coming here illegally. "I don't want to go around looking over my shoulder every time."
Lee first applied to come to this country in 2008. She hopes to become a citizen in 2012. She admits 4 years is a long application process. But she believes it will be worth it.
Lee does not condone illegal immigration.
She says, "I just think they're {illegal immigrants} totally a burden on the economy. You can't find decent jobs if you're not here legally. You don't have a working permit. They don't pay their taxes. They make use of the hospitals."
Lee supports Arizona's immigration law S.B. 1070. She says, "Basically what I need to carry about is my permanent resident card." She compares it to carrying a driver's license.
She doesn't understand how critics claim 1070 will cause racial profiling of minorities. She says she's never been harassed and, "As soon as I open my mouth people know I'm not an American citizen."
Lee believes the federal government's suing Arizona to stop 1070 is "just so ridiculous."
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