Arizona's Immigration Laws

In April 2010, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed Senate Bill 1070 into law, known as Support our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act . SB1070 requires Arizona law enforcement officers to enforce Federal Immigration Laws by verifying the legal status of people who have contact with law enforcement officers, and who the officers have probable cause to believe that may be in the United States Illegally. Since it's passage, Arizona has been the target of Protests and Boycotts from special interest groups and State and City Governments across the country who disagree with the law. The people of Arizona, according to recent polls conducted by Rasmussen, 70% of Arizonans support this law.

Listening to media reports on Television, Radio and on the Internet, seem to believe that this law is wrong, and will ultimately be struck down by the courts as a violation of the U.S. Constitution. Several lawsuits have already been filed against Arizona and quite a few more have been threatened. The bill, Sponsored by Arizona State Senator Russell Pearce, is modeled after Federal Immigration laws. In this article, We will look at the Arizona Immigration Law, and discover the facts behind the law.

The Arizona Immigration Law amends Arizona Revised Statute 13-1509 to define being in Arizona as an Illegal Alien a criminal act of Trespassing punishable by a fine for a 1st offense of not less than $500.00. It also requires that an Alien arrested for Trespassing be transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for deportation procedures.

SB1070 makes it a crime to transport any person in the State of Arizona who is known to be an illegal alien. Penalties for transporting an Illegal Alien can include immobilization or impounding of an automobile transporting an Illegal Alien. It also provides for very stringent penalties for anyone convicted of human smuggling.

SB1070 requires Police Officers who conduct a traffic stop for a violation of Arizona Traffic Laws to request documents showing immigration status for any persons who the officer has reason to believe may be in the country illegally, and allows for arrest of any person who cannot provide valid proof of residency.

SB1070 provides for business licenses to be suspended for employees who knowingly and repeatedly hire someone in Arizona Illegally. It also requires Arizona business to participate in the e-Verify program and retain records of that participation for the duration of a person's employment or for 3 years, which ever is longer.

SB1070 makes it a crime to stop on any roadway in Arizona for the purpose of hiring any person if stopping will impede traffic. It also makes it a crime for Illegal Aliens to solicit work at any public place or to work as an independent contractor or employee of any person or business in Arizona

SB1070 also provides safeguards to prevent Racial Profiling by providing penalties to Law Enforcement Officers who engage in Racial Profiling. As an additional safeguard, Governor Brewer has directed the Arizona Police Officer Standards and Training Agency to develop a training program to teach officers how to enforce SB1070 without profiling.

SB1070 is designed to enforce Immigration Laws that the United States Government has refused to enforce. Although the exact number of Illegal Aliens in the United States is not known, it is widely believed that between 13 million and 27 million Illegal Aliens are currently in the United States, with hundreds of thousands more pouring over the border each year.