--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Like other discriminatory legislation in…" description: "\"Like other discriminatory legislation in our country's history, immigration laws define and differentiate legal status on the basis of arbitrary attrib..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58c/aviva-chomsky-66940_accidents_like-other-discriminatory-legislation-in_1684927.jpg" --- # Like other discriminatory legislation in our country's… ![“Like other discriminatory legislation in our country's history, immigration laws define and differentiate legal status on the basis of arbitrary attributes. Immigration laws create unequal rights. People who break immigration laws don't cause harm or even potential harm (unlike, for example, drunk…” quote by Aviva Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58c/aviva-chomsky-66940_accidents_like-other-discriminatory-legislation-in_1684927.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58c/aviva-chomsky-66940_accidents_like-other-discriminatory-legislation-in_1684927.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58c/aviva-chomsky-66940_accidents_like-other-discriminatory-legislation-in_1684927.jpg) > “Like other discriminatory legislation in our country's history, immigration laws define and differentiate legal status on the basis of arbitrary attributes. Immigration laws create unequal rights. People who break immigration laws don't cause harm or even potential harm (unlike, for example, drunk driving, which creates the potential for harm even if no accident occurs). Rather, people who break immigration laws do things that are perfectly legal for others, but denied to them--like crossing a border or, even more commonly, simply exist.” Aviva Chomsky ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Immigration laws arbitrarily assign legal status, creating unequal rights and criminalizing normal actions for some people. **In simple terms:** Immigration law unfairly treats normal actions as illegal for certain groups. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge arbitrary legal distinctions. Themes equality human rights immigration law discrimination Mood critical concerned Type political analytical When to use this quote - advocacy work - legal reform - community organizing - public education Key Concepts social justice legal theory policy analysis Questions to Reflect On - How do arbitrary legal categories affect societal cohesion? - What reforms could ensure fair treatment? A Different Perspective Legal reforms may face political resistance and entrenched interests. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accidents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accidents/) [Borders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borders/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Driving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/driving/) [Drunk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drunk/) [Drunk driving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drunk-driving/) [Equal rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equal-rights/) [Harm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harm/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Immigration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigration/) [Immigration law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigration-law/) [Immigration laws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigration-laws/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Legislation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legislation/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights/) ## Related quotes > [Discriminatory legislation emboldens those who seek to make us afraid while giving those communities it hurts a concrete reason to fear. 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I am not for drunk driving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-carlson/nobody-at-least-sitting-in-my-seat-is-defending-drunk-driving-i-am/) [Tucker Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-carlson/) > [It takes 8,460 bolts to assemble an automobile, and one nut to scatter it all over the road.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nateman/it-takes-8-460-bolts-to-assemble-an-automobile-and-one-nut-to-scatter/) [Nateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nateman/) > [“Hitch: making rules about drinking can be the sign of an alcoholic,' as Martin Amis once teasingly said to me. (Adorno would have savored…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/hitch-making-rules-about-drinking-can-be-the-sign-of-an-alcoholic-as/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Consider the death of Princess Diana. This accident involved an English citizen, with an Egyptian boyfriend, crashed in a French tunnel, driving a German…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-riebling/consider-the-death-of-princess-diana-this-accident-involved-an/) Mark Riebling > [ \[In my bio\] is no drunk driving, there's no DUI's, there's no possession of cocaine, none of that stuff so you know, I don't… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-dunham/in-my-bio-is-no-drunk-driving-there-s-no-dui-s-there-s-no-possession/) [Jeff Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-dunham/) > [More people die on a per mile basis from drunk walking than from drunk driving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-jacobs-2/more-people-die-on-a-per-mile-basis-from-drunk-walking-than-from/) [A. J. Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-jacobs-2/) > [You booze, you cruise, you lose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-booze-you-cruise-you-lose/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I have a responsibility, and it's something that I did wrong, and if I could personally apologize to every single person that has lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-richie/i-have-a-responsibility-and-it-s-something-that-i-did-wrong-and-if-i/) [Nicole Richie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-richie/) ## More by Aviva Chomsky > [If our goal is to slow migration, then the best way to do so is to work for a more equitable global system. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aviva-chomsky/if-our-goal-is-to-slow-migration-then-the-best-way-to-do-so-is-to/) Aviva Chomsky > [It’s notable that the countries that most pride themselves on their commitment to equality, human rights, and democracy (like the United States and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aviva-chomsky/it-s-notable-that-the-countries-that-most-pride-themselves-on-their/) Aviva Chomsky > [“What’s your status now?” the legislator asked them. “I’m undocumented,” one Brazilian student answered, bewildered. “Why don’t you start the process to become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aviva-chomsky/what-s-your-status-now-the-legislator-asked-them-i-m-undocumented-one/) Aviva Chomsky Explore all 4 Aviva Chomsky quotes ## More Accidents quotes > [Almost all accidents take place because of human distraction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-thrun/almost-all-accidents-take-place-because-of-human-distraction/) [Sebastian Thrun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-thrun/) > [It was no accident, no coincidence, that the seasons came round and round year after year. 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