This Tuesday, Arizona passed a new, highly restrictive immigration
enforcement bill. The new law, SB 1070, has made the lack of correct
immigration paperwork a misdemeanor in the state. It also directs
police officers to determine a person’s immigration status if they
reasonably suspect the person is an illegal immigrant.
SB 1070 passed 35 to 21 in the State House of Representatives, but has
nevertheless been the cause of much division throughout the state.
Police associations were torn about the bill; police unions backed it,
but the state police chief’s association opposed it and believed it
could harm levels of trust the police have with immigrant communities
in the state. Immigration groups, as expected, were horrified by the
passing of the bill, with many stating it, in effect, mandates racial
profiling and creates a police state.
