Barack Obama has spent the last few weeks offering baleful warnings about the consequences of Arizona’s new immigration law, warning of the potential discrimination that could occur if law enforcement officials start asking about legal residency and checking papers. Apparently, that’s something of which Obama is already keenly aware — and in which students in Kalamazoo, Michigan just got a crash course. In order to be personally greeted by the President, they were told, the government needs to check on their citizenship status, emphasis mine:

The White House appears to be laying the groundwork for President Barack Obama to shake the hand of each senior at Kalamazoo Central High School’s commencement ceremony next month.

Seniors are being asked to provide their birthdates, Social Security numbers and citizen status to the Secret Service so background checks could be performed. Such a check is required for anyone who gets within an arm’s length of the president, students were told at their senior breakfast Friday.

Of the fact that the White House is requesting information on all the graduating seniors, K-Central Principal Von Washingon Jr. told the students, “I’ll let you figure out what that means,” said senior Simon Boehme, who was at the breakfast.

What it means? It means that the White House is preparing to profile these patriotic American citizens!  They’re going to be just like a police state, demanding “papers” from ordinary folks just to go about their business!  Or, more likely, the Secret Service is just doing their job — as the Arizona law-enforcement officers will do theirs, and the Obama administration won’t.

Got an Obamateurism of the Day? If you see a foul-up by Barack Obama, e-mail it to me at [email protected] with the quote and the link to the Obamateurism. I’ll post the best Obamateurisms on a daily basis, depending on how many I receive. Include a link to your blog, and I’ll give some link love as well. And unlike Slate, I promise to end the feature when Barack Obama leaves office.

Illustrations by Chris Muir of Day by Day. Be sure to read the adventures of Sam, Zed, Damon, and Jan every day!