Of all the provisions in Arizona’s controversial SB 1070 bill, the most contentious of them was upheld Wednesday by a U.S. district judge. The “Show Me Your Papers” provision allows law enforcement officers to question the immigration status of those people they believe to be in the country illegally while making their regular stops.
Opponents of the provision say that it would allow for racial profiling and a loss of civil rights while those in favor of the bill say that the officers are well qualified and trained to make those judgment calls. Ultimately, Judge Susan Bolton decided that it was language from the initial Supreme Court ruling that the provision “cannot be challenged further on its face before the law takes effect” which inspired her ruling.
Legalese aside, the ruling will allow for Governor Jan Brewer's law to take full effect shortly. After the seemingly endless battles in high courts over the bill and its provisions, is this the final stop for SB 1070? Is this a big loss for the Obama Administration which challenged the law as well? Do you think this sets precedent for other states who want to draft their own immigration law?
Guest:
Omar Jadwat, staff attorney with the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project
Kris Kobach, Kansas Secretary of State: Constitutional law expert and former Law Professor at University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC); Former Counsel to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft (from 2001-2003, he was the Attorney General's Chief Advisor on immigration law)