Arizona Illegal Immigration Law Takes Effect Thursday

Unless a federal judge makes a last-minute decision, today in Arizona, a cop can ask for documentation proving a person is a legal U.S. citizen.

It will be illegal for a business owner to employ illegal immigrants or transport anywhere in the state, even if they are family members.

All immigrants, legal and illegal, will have to carry their documents on their person if police have reasonable suspicion that they are in the country illegally.

Supporters will cheer, saying Arizona’s controversial new illegal immigration law will finally crack down on the illegals that the federal government has done nothing about. They say illegals are an expensive drain on the U.S. and contribute to crime.

Critics will take to the streets, protesting that the rule will lead to racial profiling and Arizona has overstepped its bounds as a state. They say illegals help the economy.

The U.S. Department of Justice brought a lawsuit against Arizona, alleging the laws conflict with federal law, would disrupt immigration enforcement and would lead to police harassment of those who cannot prove their lawful status.

“Arizonans are understandably frustrated with illegal immigration,” Holder has said in previous interviews. “But diverting federal resources away from dangerous aliens such as terrorism suspects and aliens with criminal records will impact the entire country’s safety.”

Attorney General Eric Holder also doesn’t rule out adding racial profiling to the lawsuit at some point.

The lawsuit is seeking an injunction to enforcement of the law, but so far a judge has not stepped in to halt the measure going into effect.

Attorneys for Gov. Jan Brewer asked the court earlier this week to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing the justice department has not proven its been harmed by the law and its case is based on hypothetical scenarios.

Meanwhile, illegal immigrants have been reportedly leaving Arizona ahead of the law, ABC News reported. Others are taking the advice of Latino activists who are encouraging people to “check their tail lights, not to travel in large groups and even to remove the Catholic rosaries from their rear view mirrors,” ABC said.

(AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

A Chicago native, Bridgette has been a journalist since she first wrote for her seventh grade newsletter. Today, that passion is just as strong. She has written for several newspapers, including the Houston Chronicle, the Houston Defender, the Marshall News-Messenger (Texas) and the Springfield News-Sun (Ohio).

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