Arizona lawmakers modify (new) immigration law - LA Times

[wiggle-room]

Arizona lawmakers modify immigration law

Legislators ban race from being used by police as a factor to identify illegal immigrants and require scrutiny only of people who police stop, detain or arrest.

snip:

The Arizona legislature late Thursday narrowed a controversial immigration law in response to allegations that the measure legalized racial profiling and forced police to determine the immigration status of people they encountered on the streets.

The initial law, signed by Gov. Jan Brewer last week, required police to determine someone's immigration status if officers formed a reasonable suspicion about their legality based during any "lawful contact." That led to suggestions by some legal experts that police would be obligated to scrutinize even people who simply asked for directions. A Phoenix police officer who patrols an area near a school sued, contending that it would require him to ask children he encounters during the day if they are in the country legally.

Lawmakers Thursday night changed the language to require scrutiny only of people who police stop, detain or arrest. They also changed a section of the bill that barred officers from "solely" using race as grounds for suspecting someone is in the country illegally; opponents noted that would allow race to be a factor. The legislators removed the word "solely" to bar race from being used at all by officers enforcing the law.

snip:

"They're nice cosmetic changes," said former State Sen. Alfredo Gutierrez at a press conference Friday at which activists called for a boycott against Arizona and companies based in the state. "But they're insufficient."

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-arizona-immigration-20100501,0,2712336.story

[ncteechur]

1. It is possible to "change" a passed and signed law overnight? Both houses of their legislature

approved it and the governor signed it?

Hard to believe.

[Justitia]

4. I think I read it went into conference committee. Didn't know you could do that post-signing. -eom

[jody]

2. Interesting cosmetic change. How are fed LEO supposed to enforce 8 U.S.C. § 1304?

8 U.S.C. § 1304 : US Code - Section 1304: Forms for registration and fingerprinting

(e) Personal possession of registration or receipt card; penalties Every alien, eighteen years of age and over, shall at all times carry with him and have in his personal possession any certificate of alien registration or alien registration receipt card issued to him pursuant to subsection (d) of this section. Any alien who fails to comply with the provisions of this subsection shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall upon conviction for each offense be fined not to exceed $100 or be imprisoned not more than thirty days, or both.

[RandomThoughts]

3. Do they still have ability to ask for papers without probable cause of a crime?

[aquart]

6. Did I read that the guidelines for the federal immigration bill has an identity card?

Which would mean the federal solution to state bills like this one is to legalize "Show your papers" nationally.

[jody]

7. Federal ID is imminent. The only issue is how much LEOs will be allowed to infringe upon individual

liberties in demanding citizens show it.

One current bill in congress will require black boxes in cars which will probably include GPS tracking.

Eventually all transactions will be electronic so government can build a financial profile of each citizen and merge that with your complete medical and prescription drug history to determine if you are a threat to society.

The Information Awareness Office (IAO) is just the agency to do that.


George Orwell was a few years off with "Nineteen Eighty-Four" but not much.

[aquart]

5. Yeah, that'll work.

They're kidding, right?