Guanabee Exclusive: We Interview Miss Arizona Vanessa Rose Valero About SB 1070

We have been reporting lately on Arizona SB 1070, and we figured it was time to ask an Arizonian what they thought. So, we found Vanessa Rose Valero who just happens to be Miss Arizona, Hispanic, and a Republican! Triple threat! The controversial state law sets up strict new anti-immigration laws and practices. The law makes it a state (rather than federal) crime to not have your immigration/identification/travel documents on you and gives local law enforcement the right to detain and question anyone the suspect might be an illegal. Vanessa was born in California to a Chilean immigrant father and an Italian-American mother. She spent several years living in Central and South America as her parents were working in Christian programming in Latin America. Vanessa later moved to Arizona and was Miss Pre-Teen Arizona before winning the big shiny crown last year. Valero is a devout Christian, and she has appeared several times on the Trinity Broadcasting Network to talk about her religious convictions. Vanessa also loves guns, like a lot, "I love guns for protection, to just shoot, for target practice, trap and skeet, hunting, the whole nine yards." She sees herself as a conservative Republican and is in fact a close family friend of Governor Jan Brewer who signed the controversial law into effect. GB: What is your first impression of the law was when she heard what it contained? VV: "Well, I got to tell you, that while I definitely think something needs to be done to establish some kind of accountability for the immigrants coming over illegally, I think maybe the way the law is currently worded and set is a little extreme." GB: Are you worried that this might lead to racial profiling? VV: "Absolutely, it is a serious concern! I mean, the way it is now anyone who the police think might be an illegal can be stopped. They could stop me if they just looked at me, saw my last name or something. Or my dad, who has a serious accent. There has to be a better way to figure out how to screen for it. Like, maybe they can't arbitrarily stop you but if they stop you for a traffic violation, let's say, then they can check your documents. I don't know, but yeah, it's definitely very concerning." GB: What do you think led to the law being enacted? VV: "See, the thing is that it is a a sticky problem. The way it was before, it's almost like there is no restraint on illegal immigration at all. They (illegal immigrants) pour over the border constantly and it costs a lot of problems for the state. For one thing, since they are here with no documentation it becomes an issue of their access to our state programs like health care, schools, etc. not to mention their being no accountability if they commit a crime or get into trouble. It's not a question of us not wanting them here, because we do. So much of our state is Hispanic, and a lot of these people are very hard workers who just want to get a piece of the American dream. I mean, my father did that, he is an immigrant, you know? But I think the problem is that the pendulum has swung to far the other way and now it is too extreme, too strict. You can't go from doing nothing to something that might lead to racial profiling." We found Vanessa to be a very intelligent and articulate young lady as well as a smoking hot beauty queen. It's hard for anyone who has a connection to Hispanics or people who have emigrated to not have misgivings about this law. What it shows is that this issue goes beyond Republican and Democrat. It is a question of equality, freedom from oppression, and human rights. Aren't those the reasons people come to America in the first place?