Feds set up hotline for immigration concerns

Maria Durand, right, Gustavo Cruz, center, and Patricia Rosas react to the U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding Arizona's controversial immigration law, SB1070, at the Arizona Capitol in Phoenix, June 25, 2012. / AP

(AP) WASHINGTON - The Justice Department has set up a hotline for the public to report potential civil rights concerns regarding the Arizona law that requires police to check the immigration status of those they stop for other reasons.

The hotline phone number is 1-855-353-1010. The email is: SB1070(at)usdoj.gov.

The Supreme Court unanimously approved Arizona's "show-me-your-papers" requirement on Monday but struck down provisions that created state crimes allowing local police to arrest people for federal immigration violations.

In his majority opinion, Justice Anthony Kennedy also said the law could — and suggested it should — be read to avoid concerns that status checks could lead to prolonged detention.

He said detaining individuals solely to verify their immigration status would raise constitutional concerns. But he did not define what would constitute excessive detention.

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[reality_sanity]

The Supreme Court in their decision invited consideration of other constitutional challenges to the papers please provision specifically the 14th Amendment considerations of due process and non-discrimination. This hotline was established to gather the information necessary to make those arguments as appropriate before the Supreme Court.

[reality_sanity]

I left out the consideration of the 14th amendment equal protection clause. -- by the way those clauses specifically apply to any person in this country (citizen, non-citizen - legal or illegal) as interpreted in numerous precedents by the Supreme Court.

[ammo17]

did you know there would no problem with profiling if our government would have enforced our immogration laws.Why?

[reality_sanity]

If Republicans had not spent 8 years cutting taxes and allocated the $1 TRILLION required according to IRS to create the facilities to deport the illegals this problem would not exist. Congress is still unwilling to allocate the $1 TRILLION required to deport all illegals.

[reality_sanity]

Sorry typo = ICE and not the IRS needs the Trillion to deport the illegals.

[ICanReadBigWords]

So where is the hot line to report illegal alien workers? In fact, why is there not a whistle blower program for American Citizens to report companies that are employing illegals and collect a percentage of any fines imposed on said employer?
Does anyone feel as I that my duty to obey Federal Laws is reduce daily? In other words, why should I obey laws that I disagree with if the president can fail to enforce laws that he dislikes?
Just another reason this Democrat will not vote for BO

[Ulgnud]

It takes something like this to show which of our officials are for Americans First and which ones are for the illegal invaders first. I suggest you remember that on election day.

[msfit32]

Wow....what the heck?

It's bizarre that our president is more worried about non-citizens 'rights' then American citizens.

How does this help American citizens?

Hello?

[Jaylah54200]

It wasn't "our president" that set up this hotline. It was the Justice Department.

That said, I'm disgusted by Obama's plans for (essentially) amnesty for thousands of illegals. But then that's been a political pawn for decades. Every president/party wants to declare amnesty when they're in power, figuring that the party that lets the illegals stay will get the Latino vote. (The last president/party to actually manage this was Reagan and the GOP.) And no party ever wants to start enforcing immigration laws, fearing that will lose them the Latino vote.

Ask Romney about this and he'll tell you he has "a plan" but won't go into specifics about what that plan actually is. (His answer to every question. He has "a plan" but can't go into specifics.)

[Jaylah54200]

Love the sign in the photo: "Justice & Dignity for all US immigrants."

I heartily agree.

But not for illegal aliens. There's a difference.

If you immigrated here legally, I think you're entitled to all the "justice and dignity" of any US citizen. If you entered this country illegally, you're entitled to be deported back to your home country, and that's ALL you are entitled to.

[wearewatching]

the curent administation is just NOT intested in the wishes of the american tapayer/ctizens.....think hey have forgotten who pays the bils

[reality_sanity]

Congress has expressed the interests of tax payers by NOT appropriating the TRILLION dollars identified by ICE as necessary to deport the majority of the illegals in this country. The President does not control appropriations of funds in this country -- the Congress does.

[darkhorseky]

Hey where is our hot line. Protect my American citizen behind from those who steal my benifits. But of course Our Goverment has decided that I make so much money I can support more people. Home of the free ride.

[maiingan]

There should be no problem with the requirement to show papers. I've read that Federal law already requires non-citizens who are here legally to have their documents with them at all times in public. People who are here illegally are not exempt from some show-papers law. Even citizens are well-advised to carry some ID in public ... maybe so you can be identified if you are an accident victim, if for no better reason. There should be no problem with "racial profiling." I figure if a person doesn't speak English with competence, and can't produce documents as required, and doesn't seem to be from a Native American tribe with a U.S. territory - he might be here illegally.