A Level Playing Field

There is an undercurrent of tension between black and Hispanic communities that has come out into the open in Chicago with the case of Elvira Arellano, who has compared herself to Rosa Parks.

Arellano's story, while sad, also is one of intentional lawbreaking and identity theft.

In her critics' eyes, she is exploiting and cheapening the civil rights movement for personal gain.

And sad to say, there are enough examples of this in the black community as well. Jesse Jackson comes to mind.

Mary Mitchell says Arellano is no Rosa Parks-- Parks broke no law, asked for no special preferences. Northwestern Professor Steven Lubet looks at the legal argument and natural law:

U.S. immigration law is deeply flawed, inflicting real hardships on good people, but no one can seriously claim that it violates natural law. As sympathetic as we might be to Elvira Arellano's plight, there is no natural human right to enter or remain in the United States, or to live in one country as opposed to another.

Whatever immigration reform we come up with, we can not enshrine in law preferential treatment for those who break the law. That would do a disservice to those who came to this country legally, and those who came here against their will, over a century ago.

But I also have to say this, I do hope that we could move beyond this self-defeating, group-grievance identity politics, which has led many black children to believe success and the American Dream were the exception, never the rule for them. I wouldn't wish that on Hispanic children, immigrant or citizen. Clarence Page talks about moving beyond ethnicity to make upward mobility work for everyone. For that we need more choices for individuals, including school choice, and a level playing field for all our citizens.