Arizona Immigration Law Fight Far From Over

AP

Updated at 3:23 p.m. ET

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer on Friday signed into law a divisive measure intended to curb illegal immigration, but the fight over the legislation is far from over.

Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Phoenix Sunday to protest the law (the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act, or SB1070), which compels police officers to question a person about his or her immigration status if there is "reasonable suspicion" that person may be illegally in the country. It would also make it a crime under state law to be there illegally.

Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon told demonstrators the law is "tearing us apart," USA Today reports. He plans to ask for the city council's approval on Tuesday to file a lawsuit to block the measure.

"We're looking at going to Federal and state court and asking for an injunction," Gordon said, Time magazine reports, "saying that it's unconstitutional, because of the civil rights being violated and the vagueness of the statute."

Along with Gordon, two of Arizona's Democratic representatives in Congress, Reps. Raul Grijalva and Ed Pastor, spoke out against the law at Sunday's rally. Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox joined them, the Arizona Republic reports, as did Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), who flew to Phoenix for the rally.

Grijalva is calling for a multi-pronged approach to fighting the law. He has appealed to President Obama to "challenge, in any way possible, this un-constitutional and discriminatory law." He asked the president to keep the federal government from cooperating with the state's enforcement of the law.

"We're going to overturn this unjust and racist law, and then we're going to overturn the power structure that created this unjust, racist law,'' Grijalva said Sunday, according to the Associated Press.

Mr. Obama has called the law "misguided" and instructed the Justice Department to examine the law's implications.

Grijalva is also calling for a boycott of his state's goods, services and tourism. About 70 drivers from California and Arizona have already agreed to stop moving loads into or out of Arizona in protest of the new law, according to the Arizona Republic. In his call for the boycott, Grijalva cited an Arizona boycott in the 1990's that persuaded the state to recognize Martin Luther King Day.

In spite of the outcry over the bill, its supporters in government are maintaining their position and may even benefit from it, by some estimations.

"It's outrageous that these people continue to support law breakers over law keepers,'' state Sen. Russell Pearce, the Republican who sponsored the legislation, said Sunday, the AP reports.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Gov. Brewer, who will face off against Republican primary challengers this summer, could use her endorsement of the new law to secure her conservative credentials. She has recently angered Republicans by calling for a sales tax increase in the state.

Arizona Sen. John McCain, who faces his own tough Republican primary challenge this year, at the last minute expressed support for the new law and said that if Mr. Obama is not happy with it, he should send more National Guard troops and Border Patrol officers to the border.

Some commentators are criticizing the Republican party for supporting a law that alienates Hispanic voters.

On the other hand, Time magazine points out that the two largest Latino districts in Arizona have some of the lowest voter turnout rates in the country.

Yet even former Rep. Tom Tancredo, a Colorado Republican infamous for his incendiary remarks related to immigration, called the Arizona law an "extreme measure." According to a report from KDVR-TV, Tancredo said he would endorse similar legislation in Colorado, but he questioned the law's potential for racial profiling.

"I do not want people here, there in Arizona, pulled over because you look like should be pulled over," he said.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said today that the Arizona law "is a wakeup call to the federal government to act" and that comprehensive immigration reform is a priority of the administration

"That that type of law could naturally drive each state to creating its own immigration law," he said.

If Senate Democrats decide to take up immigration reform this year, however, they could be driven by politics as much as they are by a need to respond to Arizona's new law.

Meghan McCain Slams Arizona Immigration Law
Thousands Rally against Ariz. Immigration Law
Congressman Touts Boycott Of Immigration Law

[compton79]

GO FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHTS IN MEXICO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[compton79]

ONCE AGAIN PEOPLE .....ITS NOT ABOUT RACE ....ITS ABOUT LAWS .....AND BEING AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT IS NOT ALLOWED ...NOW THAT AMERICA IS FINALLY HAVING A BACK BONE AND STANDING UP FOR LAWS THAT HAVE BEEN IN PLACE FOR IONS WANT TO WHINE ABOUT IT ....WELL QUIT BREAKING THE LAWS AND LEAVE IF YOU ARE ILLEGAL !!!!!!!!!!!! GO ARIZONA !!!!!

[ge556]

jayrh said, "I live in a border state and Hispanics are part of our state's heritage. There are enough people with darker skin colors that that would not be a reason to even suspect a person of being here illegally. To suggest it would be, is showing yourself for a race-bater or just as someone who wants to find a way to subvert the laws of this country.."
====
So, if I point out that Hispanic US citizens are being stopped, and sometimes arrested (if the police don't like their ID), because they look like they might be illegal, then you claim I'M being a race-baiter. Nice.

[jayrh]

I live in a border state and Hispanics are part of our state's heritage. There are enough people with darker skin colors that that would not be a reason to even suspect a person of being here illegally. To suggest it would be, is showing yourself for a race-bater or just as someone who wants to find a way to subvert the laws of this country...

There is no difference between police or border patrol agents arresting someone... And there shouldn't be and usually isn't a difference whether it's a federal, state or local law... The distinction only matters in who ultimately follows up on the arrest... In most cases, local police would only hand over suspects to the federal authorities...

Coming here illegally has always been against the law!!!

[stktn]

So if police should stop people who look like they are illegal immigrants what exactly are those characteristics then? because that I know of there aren't any certain characteristics to being illegal or looking like an illegal. Then they should stop and question everyone because that i know of almost everyone in this country comes from immigrants. not only latinos but also asians, australians, africans, and europeans. This is just another ridiculous law

And to the fact that this will help many American citizens have more jobs that illegals are now occupying, I assure you U.S. citizens won't want to work in the fields for such little pay.

And about the situation of crime..illegals aren't causing all the crime in America, there enough U.S. citizens that commit crimes already. So it is completely ridiculous to blame U.S. citizens for all the problems the U.S. has already

Of course I'm not saying illegal immigrants aren't breaking the law entering illegally but don't try to blame them for your problems U.S.

Also it is funny how many people forget where they came from and forget that they had parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents or other past decents that came to this country illegally and they are the reason why YOU are here in the first place

[jayrh]

Arizona is only trying to enforce the laws that we already have. If the federal government would take care of the problem this wouldn't even be an issue...

Crime, you hear about it in the news everyday... We would still have crime with out the illegals but why should we add to it... On some of the border towns, crime is rampant and it is starting to come over here... In Juarez there has been 800 murders already this year...

The vast majority of immigrants came here legally. It has only been in the last 50 years or so that Mexico has been invading us.

[simpact]

does anybody live in reality anymore? 1.sneak over the border 2.steal somebodys ss#,and screw up their credit 3.have babys galore (now who pays for that)4.move everybody and their mama in the house (can be pretty anoying when there is 5 families in a single family home. 5. i dont know where you went to school,our school system is shot(english please) 6.jobs ARE being taken away because once a mexican gets to a point where he or she can hire,guess who they hire.this is not here say,this is real sh-t. 7.how many hit and runs are done by illegals,(ive been through that 4 times)the truth is i can go on and on but you/they wont get it.and finally there are good and bad illegal immigrants,but unfortunately the bad out weigh the good -and enough is enough GOOD JOB ARIZONA but keep it strictly by the book. and i am hispanic

[simpact]

if you are a us citizen from at least the 60s or 70s,you can remember how cool things used to be. now- to all of you who think that canadians,brits, swedes or asians come here and commit crime like crazy, wake up,they are pretty decent people.lets keep it very real, mexicans are the most racist f-ing people on the planet.besides that, they really are just to damn stuborn.and if you dont live where there are too many illegals,then trust and belive you dont know what you are talking about.all arizona wants to do is stop this invasion.(that is not racist)

[noimmiez]

YOU MEAN TO TELL ME, IT IS TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR IDENTIFICATION WHEN THESE ILLEGALS COME HERE AND COMMIT THESE KINDS OF CRIMES AGAINST CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES? THESE HORDES FROM MEXICO ARE NOT CIVILIZED PEOPLE, BUT BARBARIC, VIOLENT, AND IGNORANT HORDES WHO DISRESPECT THE LAW AND CIVIL DECENCY.

ARE THESE THE KIND OF IMMIGRANTS WE WANT?

Illegals Abduct and Repeatedly Rape White Suburban Child: http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=1596778&page=1

Torture Hallmark of Phoenix Drug Kidnappings (mexicans)
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/05/19/phoenix.drug.kidnappings/

Illegals Murdering Cops in Arizona: http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/64385

http://patdollard.com/2010/04/violence-at-epidemic-proportions-illegal-mexican-aliens-killing-cops-throughout-arizona-geraldos-decent-hardworking-people-are-actually-violent-criminals/

[Ceres6]

Right now all types of corporations are squeezing the blood out of millions of working Americans. The greed behavior of Wall Street, banks, credit card companies, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, public utilities, and many others, is causing millions of Americans to lose their sweet homes, and it is also causing tens of millions of Americans to be in debt up to their eyeballs.

Just for curiosity, try to investigate the costs of many vegetables in many supermarket chains. You will find that a pound of tomatoes that is sold for $2, the supermarket owners only paid $0.40 to the farmer. In other words, 20% of the cost is for the farmer and the undocumented aliens that picked up the vegetables, and the rest, 80% of the cost goes to the supermarket, and certainly, a big chunk of the profits is to enable their executives to live in millionaire villas, and also to protect their delicate throats with caviar and champagne Dom Perignon.

Therefore, when all the undocumented aliens are thrown out and the prices of vegetables go through the roof, all the super patriots in Arizona and other states will scream: God damn illegal aliens, look what you have done to us.

[MindyR1965]

I am hispanic and my parents legally immigrated from Mexico to America. As a hispanic and a human rights activist I find arguments like yours deeply offensive. My parents struggled to provide for me, my sister and 2 brothers through agricultural work. My mother also did housecleaning and maid services at motels. My parents could not compete with the slave labor wages that were offered illegal immigrants. It infuriates me that rich white people argue that illegal immigrants should be in this country so they can offer them slave labor wages. It infuriates me even more when I see my fellow American-hispanics feeding into this system and hiring illegals and paying them slave labor wages. We need to stop this system of oppression. We need to enforce tougher laws to prevent the influx of illegal workers in our country and pay our legal residents fare wages.

[UNcommonsense]

and for everyone who sayd that illegals are stealing jobs--what jobs? i dont see white areicans working on grass farms or construction. the jobs that they get are because they are the jobs no one else wants!!!

[retiredgustav]

With no disrespect meant but what is this going to do with the price of lettuce abd other produce.

[jayrh]

White people don't work construction jobs? What part of the country are you from??? Around here, I see people of all different skin colors working construction jobs... Don't see too many grass farms though...