Judge: Arizona police can start using ‘show your papers’ law
The US Supreme Court will review the controversial Arizona immigration law.
A federal judge has lifted an injunction against a controversial Arizona immigration law, allowing police officers to start enforcing the 'show your papers provision meant to crack down on illegal immigration, reports Reuters.
The provision, which requires police to check the immigration status of people they stop and suspect are in the country illegally, was upheld in the Supreme Court in June on the grounds that it doesn't conflict with federal law.
A two-year legal battle has been waged over the constitutionality of the law that Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed in 2010.
The Obama administration filed a challenge that delayed the most controversial parts of the statute.
"Today is the day we have awaited for more than two years," Brewer told Reuters, adding that it was not enough to merely enforce the law.
"It must be enforced efficiently, effectively and in harmony with the Constitution and civil rights. I have full faith and confidence that Arizona's State and local law enforcement officers are prepared for this task," she said in a statement.
CBS News reports that five states, Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, South Carolina and Utah, have adopted variations of the Arizona law.
It is unclear whether federal agents will cooperate with Arizona state police by checking the immigration status of people stopped and picking up anyone deemed illegal from local officers.
Federal immigration officers have told AP that they will help, but only if it conforms to their priorities, including catching repeat violators and identifying and removing those who threaten public safety and national security.
Still, civil rights activists fear that enforcement of the provision would lead to racial profiling of Latinos.
The next step for us is to document the abuses and provide the evidence the court has said we need to provide,” Alessandra Soler, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union in Phoenix, told the Los Angeles Times.
“We will do everything we can. We have a community hot line and community forums planned, and we are training people, trying to get the message out that people need to report abuses,” Soler said.
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