By
Cat Viglienzoni - July 28, 2010
Arizona's controversial new immigration law takes effect
tomorrow, and many fear it will lead to civil rights violations. The new law
means police will be asking many people to prove their right to be in the United
States.
The Arizona immigration law requires officers to question
those they suspect of being illegal immigrants. They need to ask for a driver's
license, passport, or another identifying document if they feel the person
might be in the country illegally. They must do so while enforcing other laws.
Police are defending allegations that they will decide who
to question based on race.
"Because we are a border state, we have adopted many of
the cultural positives from all these different cultures," said executive
director of the Arizona Police Association Brian Livingston. "Those who believe
that Arizona police forces will now turn racist are wrong."
However, civil rights groups are more skeptical. Arizona
ACLU director Alessandra Solar Meetze said they are concerned the law will lead
to racial profiling.
"Thirty percent of the residents of Arizona are Latino.
And that's a pretty big target," she said. "And we feel like many of these
people who are U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents will be wrongfully
detained, they will be stopped and questioned about their status."
The federal government has already challenged the Arizona
law on the grounds that it infringes on the federal government's authority to
enforce immigration laws. It says already-existing partnerships between the
state and federal governments already allow the states some role in enforcing
federal laws.
One of these partnerships has caused a bit of a stir
after reports showed officers from a single Arizona county helped deport 26,146
illegal immigrants since 2007. That's about a quarter of the national total of
115,841 sent out of the country by officers in 64 law enforcement agencies. The
statistics for the county show the authority officials already have in
enforcing immigration laws and removing illegal immigrants from the country.
But the program faces criticisms, among them poor
oversight, insufficient training and civil rights violations. A report also
said officers in the program operated outside their authority, fueling concerns
over handing more power to them.
About 12 percent of the Arizona population is estimated
to be in the U.S. illegally.
