For Gov. Brewer to call this a validation or victory for the Arizona SB1070 law is far-reaching. 3 of the 4 provisions were struck down, and the controversial 4th provision was upheld only on very strict conditions by the Supreme Court. This is not the complete victory we had hoped for, but we have the majority of the victory here, no matter how the extreme right-wing in AZ tries to spin it.
The remaining provision is unjust and will encourage racial profiling in Arizona. This “show me your papers” clause goes against our values as Christians and Americans, and gives Hispanics in Arizona reason to be fearful of just getting pulled over for a speeding ticket. The Supreme Court put Arizona on notice today that it will be watching for lawsuits and unconstitutionally implementing this law.
From the Washington Post:
The Supreme Court on Monday said states may play a limited role in enforcing laws on illegal immigration, upholding part of Arizona’s controversial law but striking other portions it said intruded on the federal government’s powers.
The justices let stand for now the part of the law that requires police to check the immigration status of anyone they detain or arrest if they have “reasonable suspicion” that the person is in the country illegally. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) declared that decision, on the part of the law that had generated the most controversy, a victory.1
But the ruling also in part vindicated the Obama administration, with the court rejecting three provisions that the federal government opposed.
The court ruled that Arizona cannot make it a misdemeanor for immigrants to fail to carry identification that says whether they are in the United States legally; cannot make it a crime for undocumented immigrants to apply for a job; and cannot arrest someone based solely on the suspicion that the person is in this country illegally.
