Arizona Immigration Law
The Constitution of The United States was built on the purpose to provide rights and protection for all citizens as well as instructions on how the government should administrate the people. The United States has faced a great challenge in determining the precise necessities of its inhabitants when it comes to illegal immigration. Consequently, politicians whose strategies emphasize on battling illegal immigration have in the past received much public support from American citizens but, the new Arizona law seems to be taking a different turn with some citizens supporting it and others strongly opposing it. In April Arizona lawmakers approved one of the harshest immigration laws of all time which is living in the United States of America without the proper registration credentials. This law grants the police the authority to stop, question and examine the immigration status of people whom they suspect to be illegal immigrants in the United States.
Arizona’s new immigration law, known as SB1070 or Senate Bill 1070, was approved by Arizona lawmakers and signed into law by Governor Jan Brewer. Signed April 23, 2010, the law provoked massive public attention both locally and internationally. The problems drawn out by this heated debate are connected to the impact of the law on individuals, employers, employees and Arizonian citizens in general. This law prohibits state, city or county officials from carrying out a punishment that goes against the immigration laws and permits Arizonians to bring a court case on any official who puts into effect a policy that opposes the federal immigration law. Lawsuits are extremely discouraged because the law states that if one sues and loses the case he/she must compensate the accused official. The law also requires the police to search the immigration status of people they logically suspect of being in the U.S. without the right credentials needed. As long as they have sufficient justification to think that a person may be an illegal immigrant, police officers do not need a warrant to arrest the suspect.
The Border States crime levels are very high. As a result, some Arizonians claim that the non-Arizonians opposing the law are not affected by illegal immigration that much as they are and are not aware of the situations they must deal with on a daily basis. Supporters claim that if crime levels are reduced to insignificant levels, then the Arizona immigration law must be allowed to take its course. Supporters of the SB1070 law, with consideration to social costs and jobs, claim that the law may save the government and American citizens from arising social costs from illegal immigrants and competition of job. When illegal immigrants get sick, they go to the same hospitals as other citizens and many times fail to pay their medical expenses. Hospitals must continue running so those costs are transferred to the government and taxpayers and must get paid; many Americans argue this is an economic hold up for the entire U.S. society.
Excessive police force, bad press images of the Arizonian government and other related issues have a big risk in disagreements against this law; racial profiling is the most common issue among the problems of the Arizona immigration law. Although many Americans support the new law, several cities have staged protests against the SB1070 law. Those against the law claim that it will spread racial profiling and the authorization given to the police will cause the most discrimination against African Americans and Hispanics who are the most defenseless to federal laws and other laws as opposed to American Natives.
Opponents claim that the grounds of suspicion offered by the law are not clear and the law therefore gives excessive authorization to law enforcers. Police in the past been reported for racism. Opponents claim that the undefined clauses give the police officers unjustifiable freedom to persecute people based on their own judgments.