ARIZONA—Arizona could soon implement one of the most restrictive immigration laws in the United States, but the final word will not be known for another four days. If Republican Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signs or does not veto the bill, it wil become law and could change the lives of hundreds of thousands in local Hispanic communities.
Arizona Senate Bill 1070 would require police to determine if people are in the country legally. Thousands of current Arizona residents without citizenship would become criminals overnight, reported Freep.com.
Residents without U.S. citizenship that have not gone through the process of obtaining a green card would be charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor if the bill passes. The charge would carry a mandatory fine of $500. Some people are questioning whether or not the change in the law would give Arizona police free reign for racial profiling of Hispanics.
Democratic representatives in Arizona asked President Obama to step in and stop the bill that passed through the state’s House of Representatives. The Democratic legislature has a strong Hispanic presence, and Representatives Luis Gutierrez and Raul Grijalva are doing what they can to stop Brewer from making their fellow Hispanics criminals, reported HispanicBusines.com.
Democratic Rep. Gutierrez said that the United States should have a standard immigration law that is applicable to the entire country.
“The president of the United States should simply say, ‘On the issue of immigration, the Constitution is clear, my power is clear—I’m going to regulate immigration in the United States from a federal level,’” said Gutierrez to HispanicBusiness.com.
Brewer did not give any hints as to what direction she will go with the bill, but she did make this statement to Freep.com, “I’ll look at it, go over it and review it completely when it hits my desk.”
Former presidential candidate Sen. John McCain of Arizona said the underlying issue is that the borders of the United States should be tightly sealed and monitored by police.
“I think the people of Arizona understandably are frustrated and angry. It’s also a commentary on the frustration that our state Legislature has that the federal government has not fulfilled its constitutional responsibilities to secure our borders,” McCain said in a statement to Freep.com.
Arizona Senate Bill 1070 would require police to determine if people are in the country legally. Thousands of current Arizona residents without citizenship would become criminals overnight, reported Freep.com.
Residents without U.S. citizenship that have not gone through the process of obtaining a green card would be charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor if the bill passes. The charge would carry a mandatory fine of $500. Some people are questioning whether or not the change in the law would give Arizona police free reign for racial profiling of Hispanics.
Democratic representatives in Arizona asked President Obama to step in and stop the bill that passed through the state’s House of Representatives. The Democratic legislature has a strong Hispanic presence, and Representatives Luis Gutierrez and Raul Grijalva are doing what they can to stop Brewer from making their fellow Hispanics criminals, reported HispanicBusines.com.
Democratic Rep. Gutierrez said that the United States should have a standard immigration law that is applicable to the entire country.
“The president of the United States should simply say, ‘On the issue of immigration, the Constitution is clear, my power is clear—I’m going to regulate immigration in the United States from a federal level,’” said Gutierrez to HispanicBusiness.com.
Brewer did not give any hints as to what direction she will go with the bill, but she did make this statement to Freep.com, “I’ll look at it, go over it and review it completely when it hits my desk.”
Former presidential candidate Sen. John McCain of Arizona said the underlying issue is that the borders of the United States should be tightly sealed and monitored by police.
“I think the people of Arizona understandably are frustrated and angry. It’s also a commentary on the frustration that our state Legislature has that the federal government has not fulfilled its constitutional responsibilities to secure our borders,” McCain said in a statement to Freep.com.
