Phoenix, AZ
(July 2012)
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 5, 2012
Contact: ACLU Media, 212-549-2666; media@aclu.org
PHOENIX -- A federal district judge today blocked the "harboring"
provision of Arizona's SB 1070 anti-immigrant law but refused to issue a
new injunction on the law's most controversial remaining section.
However, the so-called show-me-your-papers provision will not go
into effect for at least 10 days, because additional procedures must be
followed before the existing injunction in the federal government's
challenge to SB 1070 can be lifted.
"The district court was correct in blocking Arizona's harboring
statute, which criminalized many everyday interactions with unauthorized
immigrants. Unfortunately, the district court's ruling let the 'show me
your papers' law stand, without addressing significant new evidence
that it was passed with a discriminatory motive and will result in
illegal detentions," said Cecillia Wang, director of the ACLU
Immigrants' Rights Project. "The ruling puts an enormous burden on the
countless Arizona residents who will be victims of racial profiling and
illegal detentions because of this law. We remain committed to fighting
what is left of SB 1070 and defending the rights of all Arizonans to be
free from this unjust law."
The ACLU is part of a coalition of civil rights groups that are
challenging SB 1070 in the courts. The groups, which include the
National Immigration Law Center and MALDEF, argued that Arizona lacks
authority to enact the state harboring prohibition. They also argued
that SB 1070 will cause people to be detained while their immigration
status is checked even though the Supreme Court recently made clear that
such detention is unconstitutional; and that it violates the Equal
Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment because discrimination against
Latinos, who make up one-third of Arizona's population, was a motivation
behind the law's passage.
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