Arizona’s tough new law cracking down on illegal immigrants has unleashed a fiery debate over crime, racial profiling and policing that has reverberated far beyond the state’s borders.
The Arizona law requires state and local police to determine if people are in the country illegally, previously a function carried out by U.S. federal immigration police and some local forces. There are some 10.8 million illegal immigrants living and working in the United States, an estimated 460,000 of them in Arizona. The state’s immigration law takes effect in late July.
Critics of the law argue it is unconstitutional and a mandate for racial profiling, and fear it will destroy trust between Hispanic communities and law enforcement in the border state.
Supporters say the law is needed to curb crime in Arizona, which is a busy entry point for Mexican cartels smuggling drugs to the U.S.
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.
