Arizona immigration bill further divides U.S.
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The immigration-enforcement bill signed into law by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer is the toughest of its kind in the U.S., which is expected to further divide the country of immigrants.
The Arizona immigration law has become front-page stories in many local newspapers throughout the country, because it touches on several issues which are the concern of all Americans: Is it proper or constitutional for local law enforcement agencies to enforce immigration law, which traditionally is a federal law and only federal law enforcement agencies will do that? Will enforcement of immigration law by local police become racial profiling? Do local police agencies have adequate training to enforce the federal law?
There is no question that the battle will quickly shift from the state Capitol to the courts, where opponents plan to challenge it as an unconstitutional intrusion on federal authority and a violation of civil rights.
While proponents defend the legislation as legally sound, critics say the U.S. Constitution makes it clear that the federal government alone has the responsibility to enact and enforce immigration laws.
Some fear other constitutional rights will be trampled through racial profiling and that vital federal money will be diverted from other national priorities.
"This law places all minorities, including Asian Pacific Americans, under constant suspicion, relegating them to second-class status," said Stewart Kwoh, president and executive director of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC) in Los Angeles.
"Such broad immigration enforcement powers are not only unconstitutional, but will undermine community trust in law enforcement," he added.
"This law will do untold damage to the state's immigrant communities," said Titi Liu, executive director of the Asian Law Caucus. "Arizona's decision legalizes racial profiling by law enforcement and moves our entire country in the wrong direction."
Civil rights leaders held that the Arizona governor's actions would lead nationwide repercussions of fear and distrust in government. The state faces a current budget deficit of 3 billion dollars. Asians and Latinos wield significant economic power in Arizona, with about 37 billion dollars in consumer purchasing power. Their businesses also had sales and receipts of 12.2 billion dollars and employed nearly 65,000 people.
Under Arizona's law, local law enforcement officers will have the authority to ask about immigration status if they have a "reasonable suspicion" that a person is undocumented.
"It's extraordinarily vulnerable to a legal challenge," said Thomas Saenz, president and general counsel of the Los Angeles-based Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF).
