A federal judge this morning gutted blocked several critical provisions of Arizona's new immigration law from taking effect, delivering a last-minute victory to opponents of the law that brought the state a flurry of mostly negative international attention.
The overall law will still take effect Thursday, but without the provisions that angered opponents. Sections barred from being enforced include:
Requiring a police officer to make a reasonable attempt to check the immigration status of those they have stopped;
Forbidding police from releasing anyone they have arrested until that person's immigration status is determined;
Making it a violation of Arizona law for anyone not a citizen to fail to carry documentation;
Creating a new state crime for trying to secure work while not a legal resident;
Allowing police to make warrantless arrests if there is a belief the person has committed an offense that allows them to be removed from the United States.
"Requiring Arizona law enforcement officials and agencies to determine the immigration status of every person who is arrested burdens lawfully-present aliens because their liberty will be restricted while their status is checked," U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton ruled. |