'Show me your papers' provision in Arizona immigration law stays

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
9/7/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Federal judge denies request to block provision in 2010 law

U.S. District Judge Susan R. Bolton has denied a request to block the "show me your papers" provision in Arizona's immigration law. The action brings enforcement of the controversial 2010 closer to being enforced.

Judge Susan Bolton ruled that the court could not block the provision based on what she termed the 'possibility' of racial profiling, citing the U.S. Supreme Court's June decision that upheld that part of the law.

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LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Opponents of the tough immigration law said that there was fresh evidence of racial discrimination should the judge block the provision. The law would let Arizona law enforcement, when performing other law enforcement functions, to check on the immigration status of suspected persons that they stop for unrelated reasons.

Bolton ruled that the court could not block the provision based on what she termed the "possibility" of racial profiling, citing the U.S. Supreme Court's June decision that upheld that part of the law.

"Without a set of as-applied facts, the Supreme Court has held that it would be speculative to decide as a matter of law that (the provision) will be enforced in an unconstitutional manner," Bolton wrote.

Bolton had previously blocked the provision in a July 2010 ruling, which was praised by immigrant advocates and denounced by those who supported the measure. The Supreme Court reversed Bolton's ruling on that part of the law nearly two years later.

Bolton, in a separate order indicated that her original injunction, the last judicial roadblock stopping authorities from enforcing the "show me your papers" provision -- could be lifted within days.

"I applaud the federal court for siding with the U.S. Supreme Court in refusing to block the most critical section of this law," Arizona Governor Jan Brewer said in a statement, praising the ruling.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which had asked Bolton to block the provision, says it will continue challenging the law by documenting racial profiling throughout the state.

"Once this 'show me your papers' provision goes into effect, racial profiling will become rampant statewide...and we intend to ramp up our reporting and litigation efforts to seek justice on behalf of the victims of police abuse," Alessandra Soler, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona said in a statement.

Governor Brewer denied the accusation, saying "As I have said consistently, it is not enough that this law be enforced. It must be enforced efficiently, effectively and in harmony with the Constitution and civil rights. I have no doubt Arizona's law enforcement officers are up for the task ahead."

Bolton's ruling has blocked another part of Arizona's immigration law, which created a state statute criminalizing the harboring and transport of illegal immigrants. That provision, she ruled, conflicts with federal law.

� 2012, Catholic Online. Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.

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Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: Judge Susan Bolton, immigration, Arizona, Governor Jan Brewer

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1 - 5 of 5 Comments

John
8 months ago
The #1 mistake these Tea Party followers make, I think, is believing that the politicians they support, the ones who call for less government involvement, actually live up to that ideal (which is, quite simply, an extremely flawed ideal anyway).
Tea Party leaders like Rick Perry, Michele Bachmann and just about every Republican in office these days DO support Big Oil subsidies, Big Coal subsidies, and corporate tax breaks (corporate welfare). They also seem to support government spying via such things as the Patriot Act and massive government (i.e. taxpayer) expenditures on wars related to oil. Rather than let us pay the real, unsubsidized price for oil, they provide the industry with billions of dollars of support from citizen wallets. They give the richest of the rich tax cuts the average worker can’t get.
Some eleven years ago, our nation's finances were in good shape under Bill Clinton. With bipartisan congressional support, he created a balanced budget as well as a surplus. Then disaster struck! In the next eight years, GOP, G.W. Bush, started two unnecessary, no clear win, never-ending wars costing 3.1 trillion dollars and still growing. He introduced an unfunded drug-benefits program ($3 billion), cut federal taxes twice, gave the Wall Street bankers $700 billion, and created numerous other superfluous, expensive programs. In short, he left our national economy with a $6 trillion deficit. Where was the TEA Party at when this was happening? The parts I don't understand is that honest, intelligent Republicans nation-wide swallow all this drivel without blinking an eye. I think the tea party and their ultra- right, no-compromise way of thinking is what has put our great country in the bad financial position we are in. I watched the Republican Convention and Mitt Romney's speech and find it hard to believe those people think everything wrong with our country is the president’s fault. Time to rise up against the Tea Party who really does not have a base within their core. They are to blame for our Nations credit downgrade. Tea Party bad for America.
Robert Burford
8 months ago
This is a bad law and do not blame the courts. It is another unfunded mandate that the people of Arizona will have to pay to enforce and not enforcing state law but federal law. Racial profiling will be inevitable. I feel sorry for the police who will have to enforce it. They should be out catching the bad guys.You are not going to stop illegal immigration because these people will continue to be hired because they do the labor in the hot sun that Americans are not willing to do. Do not criticize the immigrant with a mouth full of food. Make no mistake this is a bad law and will not impact the use of illegal immigrants.They will still come and do the dirty jobs as long as we like to eat.
John
8 months ago
Tea Party is wrecking the Republican party. If Jesus was on earth today and see this article where humans are divided by a border and the color of their skin, He would turn this world upside down. Lord have mercy on us, for they not know what they do. Jesus will come again to judge the living and the dead, When he comes through Arizona he will have to show his papers if coming through the south. I am ashamed of this article and Tea Party response.
JoAnn
8 months ago
Dave Francis: Thank you, thank you, thank you. Now, if only people would heed your wise words, we may have a chance. God bless.
Dave Francis
8 months ago

Honest people who stand for the voting rights of every American citizen are charged to be vigilant of illegal activity in each election precinct. Completely covered up by the majority of editorial staff in the national press, ‘Voter Fraud’ is happening and this can spotlighted by reading reports, articles on the Internet. Without being pretentious “Voter Fraud’ has been highlighted in such states as Florida, Colorado, Arkansas and now North Dakota, with many other states under scrutiny. Non citizens voting can be a major contention around the country and can be a serious issue in close races. Canvassing to register citizen voters has caused a major uproar, when organizations such as ACORN have signed up hundreds of thousands of individuals not qualified to vote. The Democrats are especially prevalent in ignoring election laws and have as usual evoked the race card, the poor and even saying this was Suppression of people voting. However the truth be known that these special classification of people, can qualify for a free picture ID card, which is not mentioned by the Socialist indoctrination. Must remember we are feeding, housing and giving free healthcare to anybody who steals into the country, which UNFAIR AND WRONG to taxpayers. Plus under President Obama not just illegal aliens but the “freeloaders” will be collecting all the benefits, but paying nothing into the pool. To me this is sheer bribery for votes whether illegal or legal.

The TEA PARTY people will be out in force to insure that the election laws we do have are fully enforced. Even so without safeguards the absentee ballot is easily compromised. In blue states the laws are so lax, that it’s inevitable there will be a paramount move to overlook non citizens voting. I am an Independent, who originally was in the Democratic fold. In November I am not voting for Obama, but not particularly happy with Romney either. I joined the Constitutional TEA PARTY, as they are for the self reliance, free fair commercial enterprise, reduction of government to the limits as written by our forefathers. Resume drilling for oil, natural gas and reopening the coal mines, with emphasis on not only clean coal production, but further research into new energy sources.

It’s like a rolling nausea as Millions of more illegal immigrants are going to be encouraged to slip past the border or step off an international jet, if President Obama returns to the White house in November. YOU--THE VOTERS HAVE TO DECIDE IF WE CAN AFFORD PAMPERING NOT ONLY THE 20 MILLION PLUS ILLEGAL ALIENS, ALREADY HERE OR THOSE WHO WILL ARRIVE WHEN SIGNALED THE FREE WELFARE UNDER OBAMA. It’s not so much the illegal alien invaders that is the problem, it’s the fact we have to pay for them through state forced unfunded mandates of the court. The biggest issue is the majority Democratic states with poorly supervised election stations, will turn a blind eye to non citizens voting. I am not going to tell you about the terrible consequences of the democrats passing another mass amnesty, even after we were promised that no blanket amnesty would ever be enacted again. But neither do I trust the Republicans to carry out the full pledge of the issues involved. Only the rapid absorption of the TEA PARTY LEADERSHIP into GOP does the chance of America resurfacing under the weight of this depressed economy and jobs.

It’s certainly obvious to any prudent person, that the only reason organization such as the Communist founded ACLU, doesn’t want the right of law enforcement officers to check on a person’s immigration status, and is that Arizona being a frontier state is flooded with illegal alien migrants. What is strange that wherever you drive or wander that if you are in violation of the law, the police are going to ask for identification proof anyway? I think that with this law in effect, hundreds of thousands of illegal entrants are going to be packing up their belongings and heading for Liberal-Socialist states as California, Nevada where the laws are certainly unenforced and police by city mandates cannot question suspicious persons.

Legislators of both parties need to get off duffs; start issuing permit to drill for domestic oil, natural gas and reopen the coal mines that Obama’s czars have closed. President Obama is deep in the pockets of radical environmentalist, who are cutting us of regular fuels. You have seen the $4.00 rise of gas at the pumps, when 4 years ago it was just a $1.49. Shrink the mammoth burdensome U.S. government; closing many and merging agencies. Start from scratch a fair and equitable tax code; no more immunity for corporations and friends of politicians. Stop Obama from giving more power to the United Nations and international courts. Realize that America is heading towards insolvency, if we don’t get welfare programs under control, especially the (113 Billion annually and climbing) one hundred thirteen billion dollars going to subsidize illegal foreigners. Stop the spending and redistribution of welfare to illegal aliens, such as food stamps.

The TEA PARTY will let free trade succeed, but will sanction countries as China who are manipulating their coinage and cheating us. Resist Obama’s plan of Obamacare and free programs that allow the freeloaders to live as parasites of their host, the taxpayer. We cannot trust the Democrats who remain deliberately unconcerned with non-citizens voting. Both parties refuse to enact mandatory E-Verify (H.R. 2885), to expel illegal aliens from businesses, and a Birthright Citizenship law (H.R. 140), that allows a projected 400.000 babies a year who gain citizenship, without a parent holding U.S. citizenship status. ONLY BY REPLACING THE SENATE AND HOUSE INCUMBENTS WITH HONEST, SINCERE AND ABOVE ALL ELSE TEA PARTY LEADERSHIP WITH BACKBONE, SUCH AS TED CRUZ OF TEXAS, RICHARD MOURDOCK OF INDIANA.

THE TEA PARTY IS AMERICAS ONLY SALVATION AGAINST ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION?

NOW IT’S UP TO YOU THE VOTER?

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