Civil Rights Groups go on the Offensive to Block Arizona’s ‘Papers Please’ Law

In a highly anticipated move various civil rights groups have made an offensive move to block implementation of Arizona’s immigration status check law. Opponents to the law, often referred to as the ‘papers please’ provision, filed a lawsuit asking an Arizona federal judge to block the law, despite a recent decision by the Supreme Court which allowed the law to stand.

The contentious provision allows police to check the immigration status of any person they stop for other reasons, like a traffic violation, if there is reasonable suspicion that the person is in the country illegally.

The coalition of immigrant rights advocates, the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Immigration Law Center claims the law “pre-empts federal laws and violates the Fourth Amendment,” and has the potential to “undermine trust between the police and community members, for whom a routine encounter with law enforcement will become a lengthy detention, ” according to the 65-page filing.

Immigration lawyers along with immigrant advocates expressed concern that the law could lead to racial profiling of Latinos which represent nearly a third of Arizona’s population, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Governor Jan Brewer signed S.B. 1070 in 2010, but the Obama Administration blocked the law on the grounds that the federal government has sole jurisdiction over immigration enforcement. The Supreme Court blocked the majority of provisions in the law, but allowed the status check to stand.

Arizona has busy border with many people gaining unlawful entry into the country through the state. Immigrants face eventual deportation if they chose to enter the country before they have an immigration lawyer obtain them the necessary visas, but it is a risk many take, because living in the U.S. offers them more opportunity.

There are a number of ways in which an immigration attorney can get a hopeful immigrant lawful entry into the states. Every year millions of people are granted asylum or work and visitation visas, which can pave the way to eventual naturalization.