My Position on the Arizona Immigration Law, Essay Example

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed the new Arizona immigration bill, law SB 1070, at the end of April 2010. Since the passing of the bill, it is now a crime to not carry immigration documents. The law will take effect in July or August. Opponents to the law feel that Hispanics will now suffer great violations in regards to civil rights (York).

The bill’s “aim” is to “identify, prosecute and deport illegal immigrants,” (Archibold) making it a misdemeanor to not carry immigration papers. Since the passing of the bill, police are now able to detain anyone who they feel is in the country illegally and to have their status verified by federal officials. An exception to this rule is when verification would get in the way of an investigation or medical emergency. If people feel that the immigration law is not being enforced, they are able to sue local government.

While it’s currently illegal for immigrant to not carry their identity documents in public, Arizona is the first U.S. state to demand this new rule. If a person is unable to show citizenship documentation, they can be arrested and in jail for as long as six months, with a fine of $2,500.

President Obama has criticized the new bill, stating at a naturalization ceremony that the bill may “undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans, as well as the trust between police and our communities that is so crucial to keeping us safe” (Archibold). Since presidents don’t often comment on state legislation (Archibold), Obama’s commentary shows how strongly he feels about the issue.

Other people who are not in support of the new bill feel that Hispanics will now be openly discriminated against and in turn harassed, regardless of their actual citizenship (Archibold). The Hispanic community expects to face racial profiling, regardless of Brewer’s statements that we must trust police officers not to discriminate (Archibold). Those against the bill feel that people who look foreign will have to deal with extended questioning and requests for citizenship papers (Arizona).

Civil rights leaders have tried to implement a boycott of the state of Arizona (Arizona). Opponents are also trying to prove that this new bill undermines the power of the federal government as well as gives police enforcement too much power (Arizona). Even some police departments aren’t behind the bill, claiming that questioning anyone suspected to be an illegal immigrant will “discourage immigrants from cooperating to solve crimes” (Arizona). Cardinal Roger M Mahony of Los Angeles even went so far as to compare the new bill to Nazism (Archibold).

When Congress eventually takes on this issue on a National level, they will most likely face the same debates that the Arizona bill has sparked. While University of Missouri Kansas City Law School profressor Kris Kobach feels that the bill is “drafted to withstand judicial scrutiny,” (York), headstrong supporters of Hispanic civil rights feel that the bill will be challenged in court. After so much backlash against the bill, protests may move to the courtroom where a judge will decide if states can enforce laws that have always been the responsibility of the federal government (Arizona). As the head of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Thomas Saenz feels that “if every state had its own laws, we wouldn’t be one country; we’d be 50 different countries” (Arizona).

Works Cited

Archibold, Randal. “Arizona Enacts Stringent law on Immigration.” The New York Times on the Web. 23 Apr. 2010. 3 May 2010. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/24/us/politics/ 24immig.html>.

“Arizona Immigration Law Faces Legal Challenges.” CBS New on the Web. 26 Apr. 2010. 3 May 2010. <http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/04/27/national/main6436027.shtml>.

York, Byron. “A Carefully Crafted Immigration Law in Arizona.” Washington Examiner on the Web. 26 Apr. 2010. 3 May 2010. <http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/ columns/Byron-York/A-carefully-crafted-immigration-law-in-Arizona-92136104.html>.