New Arizona Law Gives Police Morally Questionable Rights

April 28th, 2010

New Immigration Law Slammed by Obama, Likely Unconstitutional

A new law passed in Arizona gives police and other law enforcement officers some potentially troublesome rights regarding detaining and questioning people who they suspect may be in the United States illegally.

Specifically, the new law allows police, who believe that an individual may be an illegal immigrant, the right to detain, question and demand that they show proof of their legal presence in the country.

President Obama criticized the law, stating "What I think is a mistake is when we start having local law enforcement officials empowered to stop people on the suspicion that they may be undocumented workers, because that carries a great amount of risk that core values that we all care about are breached".

Essentially, the main concern is that the new law will have US Citizens being detained and forced to offer up proof of residency or citizenship that is not readily available. How many Americans carry around proof of their citizenship? Your driver’s license is not going to suffice.

Interestingly, a poll by Angus Reid shows that 7 in 10 American adults approve of the new law, an opinion no doubt rooted in a belief that illegal immigration is putting a damper on an already fickle economy that's driving many Americans into unemployment.

The Obama administration says they will be keeping a close eye on the new law, to determine if any constitutional rights are being obstructed. Many believe the new law will not stand the test of time, due to the significant risk of breaching American civil rights.

Arizona Sheriff Clarence Dupnik is actually refusing to enforce the new law, calling it "racial profiling", "racist," "disgusting," and "unnecessary". How other county Sheriff's will handle the new police power is yet to be seen.

The law, while highly controversial, is readily accepted among Arizona residents, a state that has seen the number of illegal immigrants rise from 330,000 in 2000 to 560,000 in 2008. Arizona has also seen controversy regarding illegal immigration in the actions of Joe Arpaio, whose 150+ deputies have been illegally arresting and detaining illegal immigrants for years.