On Monday, April 19, the Arizona state legislature passed new immigration legislation that severely restricts the rights of both documented and undocumented workers. Senate Bill 1070, which provides a legal mandate for racial profiling, awaits a decision by Republican Governor Jan Brewer by Saturday.
The bill gives local and state authorities power to enforce federal immigration law by making it a misdemeanor to walk in public without necessary immigration paperwork...Essentially, police may stop anyone, for any reason or no reason, and throw them in jail if they do not produce a visa, passport, or green card. The bill is designed to terrorize and criminalize undocumented immigrants...At present, Arizona police and law enforcement can only inquire about an individual’s immigration status if the latter is suspected of being a participant in a crime.
Additionally, SB 1070 seeks to prohibit the creation of so-called sanctuary cities..SB 1070 also severely restricts the activities of day laborers by making illegal their most common method of soliciting work. It will now be against the law for a person to stop their vehicle and attempt to hire... or conversely to enter such a vehicle in an attempt to be hired...The legislation makes it illegal for undocumented persons to apply for or solicit work in a public place or to perform work so obtained...
Since Obama’s inauguration, there has been a 45 percent increase in the number of people jailed for immigration-related charges. Non-citizens now constitute a staggering 30 percent of all inmates in federal prisons...Significantly, on April 15, ICE staged its largest sweep ever, mainly in Arizona’s urban centers...
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/apr2010/ariz-a23.shtml 
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