Arizona passes Strict Immigration Act

On 4/13/10, the Arizona state House of Representatives passed a bill (S.B. 1070) directing police to determine the immigration status of non-criminals if there is a “reasonable suspicion” they are undocumented. The state Senate passed a similar measure earlier this year.

A bill creating the country’s strictest immigration stance yet has passed the Arizona House and State Senate, creating a situation where citizens will be subject to random confrontations with police regarding their immigration status.

SB 1070 calls for police to demand proof of citizenship in any situation in which “reasonable suspicion exists that the person is an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States.”

If you can’t present documentation of legal status, the law will allow for an automatic arrest.  Picture it — you go out for your morning run, do you take your driver’s license and your passport with you?  Didn’t think so.

But the means for demanding the documentation concerns immigrants rights groups who fear the draconian law will lead to racial profiling — specifically zeroing in on a Hispanic population that represents 30 percent of the Arizona citizenry.

For the text of the Bill

For more reading

LA Times