A federal judge on Wednesday blocked some of the toughest provisions in the Arizona
immigration law, putting on hold the state's attempt to enforce federal
immigration policy.
Though the rest of the law is still set to go into effect Thursday, the partial injunction on SB 1070 means
Arizona, for the time being, will not be able to require police officers
to determine the immigration status of anyone they stop or arrest.
U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton also struck down the section of law that makes it a crime for someone to fail to
carry immigration registration papers and the provision that makes it a
crime for an illegal immigrant to seek or perform work.
Click here to read the ruling.
In all, Bolton struck down four sections of the law, the ones that opponents called the most controversial. Bolton
said she was putting those sections on hold until the courts resolve the
issues.
Opponents say the law will lead to racial profiling and is trumped by federal immigration law.
The ruling came just as police were making last-minute preparations to begin enforcement of the law and protesters
were planning large demonstrations to speak out against the measure. At
least one group planned to block access to federal offices, daring
officers to ask them about their immigration status.
The volume of the protests will likely be turned down a few notches because of the ruling by Bolton, a Clinton
appointee who suddenly became a crucial figure in the immigration debate
when she was assigned the seven lawsuits filed against the Arizona
law.
Lawyers for the state contend the law was a constitutionally sound attempt by Arizona -- the busiest illegal gateway
into the country -- to assist federal immigration agents and lessen
border woes such as the heavy costs for educating, jailing and providing
health care for illegal immigrants.
Opponents argued the law will lead to racial profiling, conflict with federal immigration law and distract local
police from fighting more serious crimes. The U.S. Justice Department,
civil rights groups and a Phoenix police officer had asked the judge for
an injunction to prevent the law from being enforced.
ARIZONA WILL APPEAL THIS RULING!
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
