Arizona's New Immigration Law Ignites Passions on Both Sides
When the state of Arizona passed the nation's toughest immigration law in April, it drew a line in the sand separating supporters and opponents.


July 01, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Immigrants built our country. The U.S. has long been a destination for people with strong backs, quick minds and new ideas. From the first European colonists in the 1600s to the wave of new arrivals in the 1920s to the present day, the ethnic and cultural diversity provided by both legal and illegal immigration has made America the melting pot that it is today.

In recent years, however, a backlash has been building against undocumented aliens. A struggling economy has heightened the fervor: many proponents of more aggressive pursuit of illegal immigrants are affronted by the fact that jobs are going to illegal aliens when they could be going to hard-working Americans. When the state of Arizona passed the nation's toughest immigration law in April, it drew a line in the sand separating two passionate groups of people.

Proponents and Opponents of the Law Face Off

Supporters of the Arizona law believe in its message of tougher restrictions to combat illegal immigration. Many of these same people have been vocal about wanting undocumented workers and their families deported whenever possible. Their passionate arguments for deportation fly in the face of the fact that roughly 12 million or more undocumented immigrants are currently in the United States. It would be nearly impossible to discover and deport them all.

The vocal opponents of the law want to stem the tide of illegal immigration but still allow those who are already in the country to become citizens. For the most part, opponents of the law are social justice/civil rights advocacy groups, legal immigrants and businesses who need specially skilled and/or educated workers to survive. Others oppose the law on principle. They believe in the message of the Statue of Liberty - they want this country to continue to welcome the poor, the tired and people who yearn to breathe free.

Critics of the law also say it will lead to profiling of all Latinos, legal or not, resulting in harassment of American citizens of Hispanic descent. Opponents of the law also argue that this law will not end illegal immigration, but that it will just force aliens further underground, where they will be even less willing or able to report crimes or discriminatory behavior than they are now. This would make them more vulnerable to both criminals and exploitative employers.

Arizona's Law and Enforcement of It

This hotly debated law requires immigrants to carry alien registration documents at all times. It also gives state and local police officers the authority to, if they have a reasonable suspicion that a person is in the country illegally, demand proof of legal status and pose questions about it.

A legal analysis conducted by the County Attorney's office in Maricopa County, home to Phoenix and some of its suburbs, suggests the tough new law will be difficult to enforce. The state law requires legal immigrants to carry federal immigration registration documents not currently in use, according to a University of Arizona evaluation cited by The Arizona Republic.

Law enforcement officials in a number of Arizona cities and counties have expressed a distinct lack of enthusiasm for trying to enforce the new law. Chief Deputy Yavapai County Attorney Dennis McGrane told the newspaper that the law "is going to be difficult to enforce." Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik wrote in the Wall Street Journal that the law is flawed by "vague language" and a possibly unconstitutional mandate to jeopardize the liberty of people "who look 'suspiciously' like illegal immigrants."

How Immigration Law Affects You

If you or a family member has been arrested, detained or harassed about your immigrant or resident alien status, there can be civil and criminal consequences. For the best chance at a positive outcome, contact a Colorado immigration lawyer who can assess your case and protect your rights.

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