Arizona Senate Passes Bill that Would Tighten Immigration Enforcement
AZCapitolTimes.com reports that Arizona’s senate, by a party-line 17-13 vote, passed a broad, immigration-focused bill covering a wide range of topics including law enforcement procedures, criminal law, and traffic congestion. The bill would:
- require police officers to make a reasonable attempt to determine a person’s immigration status when “practicable;”
- allow illegal immigrants to be charged with trespassing;
- make it unlawful for anyone seeking work, regardless of their immigration status, to enter a vehicle stopped on the street;
- penalize drivers who impede traffic in an attempt to hire a day laborer;
- prohibit state and local governments from adopting policies that restrict the enforcement of immigration laws; and
- require state and local governments to comply with, and assist in enforcing, federal immigration laws.
The bill now moves to Arizona’s house of representatives for consideration.
The U.S. Supreme Court has asked the Solicitor General to submit a brief outlining the Obama administration’s stance on an Arizona law that punishes companies for hiring illegal immigrants, the 