PHOENIX, Arizona (CNN) – Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed a state bill Friday that requires police to determine whether a person is in the United States legally, which critics say will foster racial profiling and discrimination but supporters say will crack down on illegal immigration.
The Republican governor also issued an executive order that would require additional training for local officers on how to implement the law without engaging in racial profiling.
"This training will include what does and does not constitute reasonable suspicion that a person is not legally present in the United States," Brewer said after signing the bill.
Previously, officers could check someone's immigration status only if that person was suspected in another crime.
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If nobamby would have our laws enforced, then states would not be put in this position.
Republicans (thru Governor Jan Brewer) have just handed the President a present.
This law is unconstitutional because if violates the equal protection under the law provision in the Constituition. Hispanic Americans can not be held to a higher level of intrusion by police than other Americans.
President Obama promised to address immigration. American Latinos will have to give up something ... amnesty is not realistic. Originally, latinos would have tried to play the President off against the Republicans. Now, the President can advocate on the side of latinos while still advancing common sense immigration reform.
The 1st step in the plan is to take this to the Supreme Court and force them to declare it unconstitutional. The 2nd step will be the legislative process in Congress. The Hispanic Congressional Caucus will have to carry some water on this back to constiuents.
In the end, because of this high profle affront to Latinos by Republicans, President Obama can secure their loyalty for the Democratic party for decades to come.
Thank you, so much for standing up and doing the right thing, all of
my family came to the U.S.'s via ellis island.... Legall entry to the states. aliens seem to think the have a right to sneek in and take all
the goverment funds, megical, schooling ect.ect. and say its owed to them, ok then enter our country legally. and do not expect the people of this country to pay the bill.
Again Thank You Arizona
Glenn Koons, you don't have to live in the SW to be affected by illegals. However, this is still a sad reflection on America. I never thought I would see the day where I or anyone I knew would be afraid of walking down the street in America and wondering when some police officer was going to stop and ask to see proof of citizenship or legal status.I am a white middle aged American born citizen and I still think this is sad that Arizona stooped to such levels.
They could have shut down the companies that hire illegals long ago and that would have stopped their problem. Heaven forbid they touch a CEO, lets go after the family workers instead.
@ Uncle Sam. I am a Social Worker, born and raised in the US to immigrant (legal) parents. I work with people whom people like you consider to be trash. Guess what – they all want to work for a decent wage, they all want to raise their families in safety, they all would like to not have to receive the minimum entitlements which they currently receive. Good luck AZ, next we'll see how AZ wants to secede from the US so they can maintain their Aryan status. Uncle Sam, suck this!
"If you are legal there is no problem, it you are not, deportation."
My God..You people just don't get it do you?
You think having to have your birth certificate on you 24/7 in order to stay out of jail just because you have brown skin "is no problem"??
In case all you "True Americans" forgot.....OUR COUNTRY WAS FOUNDED BY IMMIGRANTS.
Though I suppose the Texas school board has eliminated that from the school books. It probably has a picture of George Bush as the founder of America.
.......and whatch the 'stuff' hit the fan the first time some Hispanic cop pulls over a White person and asks to see proof of citizenship....LOL.
I think Jan Brewer just gave herself another term as Governor.
Go Jan Go!
It really does not address the issues. Here in the west, we are losing our hospitals because of the costs of giving free medical care to illegals who then simply change their name and id. Worse, the upcoming health care bill does not address this issue since an illegal can simply change their name.
This bill SHOULD have required that all gov and health services require that police be called in if the person is 18 or above and could not show that they had a legal ID.
In addition, the one type of innocents in all this is that NONE of the bills address, is that person that was brought here as a child. For many (including adults), all they know is America. Yet, they could be exported just by being stopped.
As such, I would have liked for a DB to be created in which ppl could register that they are an illegal that was brought here as a child. As long as they have school records, etc, then they are not allowed to be exported or treated any differently than legals.
As a legal immigrant myself, this is great news! It's about time that the laws of this country are followed and it is said that it has come to the state level because the federal government has not done its job. My family had to wait 13 long years to come to this country but the wait had all been worth it. To not enforce the immigration laws would be a slap in the face to us legal immigrants...Go AZ!!
Lynn: April 23rd, 2010 5:22 pm ET
How so many don't understand the word ILLEGAL is beyond me. What's that got to do with a Star of David. Idiotic comparison.
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I take it you don't know history. Let me put it context for you. No, actually, it'd be better if you did your own research. Basically, look up the gradual introduction of laws in Germany during the 1930's with regards to liberties of Jews being infringed upon by the Nazis. THAT is where the comparison comes in.
It was bad enough when Bush was pushing through laws that were reminiscent of 1930's Germany. This? How can people NOT be objecting? Anyone with any sense of honor, history or, heck, any common sense at all is protesting this.
It's not the illegality that's at issue. It's the fact that THIS is fascism, pure and simple.
Someone keep count of what it costs to deport 400,000 people then we will have an idea what the cost would be for 14 million.
Pretty much done with this. The naive will stay naive because they want to impose what they want reality to be on reality. The really stupid will fight for the right to remain so. And "whoCares" has certainly elevated the debate to an entirely new level of abstraction.
Gary' comment is:
America needs to get a better handle on immigraton, there are far too
many people living here that did not go thru the legal process. They
live off our government and drain our economy. Some states like
Arizona, and California that border Mexico have biger problems than
other states, however it is a National issue, and not just Mexico, there
are people living here from all over the World that are not legal.
I say good for Arizona!
Before 1865 blacks that were not slaves use to have to prove they were free. Arizona has taken the US back 200 years
They are doing, and have been doing the exact same thing with the Central American immigrants in Prince Williams' county in the state of.....Virginia!!!
It is profiling. It has also hurt that particular county tremendously, as there were a great number of rightfully owned businesses by these same immigrants that had to close down and relocate because it's patrons were afraid of being pulled over by the police.
For those of you ignorant enough to say 'if they are here legally they should have nothing to fear from the police' I say to you: "Yeah, right".
If you Live in AZ and are against this bill then I'll give ya that much. If you don't live in AZ where there are areas being overridden with illegals that people on their own property are afraid to go then shut the hell up. The Republican controlled Government did little to fix this. The Democratic controlled Government did little to fix this. Arizona is gonna fix Arizona’s problem.
Those calling Arizonans "Nazis" are simply idiots.
And that is the nicest way that I can think to put it.
New GOP slogan for Nov. 2010: "If you're brown, get out of my town!"
WOW I want to live in AZ Wish all states had this law. If you dont like it, move out of the US.
The state will go bankrupt from the lawsuits of those that were profiled because they "looked illegal". There will be American born citizens who "fit the description" that will resist arrest, thus be tased or beaten all because they "didn't have their papers" The GOP has completely lost the brown vote that they know they need but don't want to admit in order to keep the Tea Partiers and republicans. All of the actual brown registered voters will go to the polls in mass and be the swing vote to obliterate the republican candidates in any election. This will backfire but they planned this all along because the state will be all white within 4 years but the jobs the immigrants do, the white people won't thus when the state goes democratic, they will be begging them to return.
Watch closely, and Essayons!
I guess all the money spent on the fence didn't work. Guess it was built on the wrong side of the state.
Can pink and yellow tags be far behind?
Cetainly gives some definition to the Rabid NAZI Committee.
As long as the police check for citizenship while processing someone for illegal activity I see nothing wrong with this law. However, it has to be everyone...from the dark skinned Spanish speaking Pueblo whose ancestors have lived here for tens-of-thousands of years, to the blue-eyed blond who sounds like she just arrived from Atlanta.
I support those who, for this reason, would BOYCOTT ARIZONA.
You are welcome in California, and the weather is nicer too. Please GET OUT of Arizona if you can't live within the laws.
The rest of us Arizonans would appreciate your quick and swift departure. You're ruining the economy, and the jobs we have here are self supporting.
It's not racial if you're breaking the law, and someone attempts to enforce the law.