Associates of the American Civil Liberties Union are issuing travel alerts for anyone heading to Arizona for this coming fourth of July holiday weekend. This is the most recent effort made by this group to denounce the state’s new immigration law.
Under the condition of the law police are allowed to inquire any person that is a suspect for a crime.
“Although the law is not scheduled to go into effect until July 29, the ACLU is concerned that some law enforcement officers are already beginning to act on provisions of the law,” is posted on the ACLU website.
“We hope the alerts provide people with some measure of protection from illegal harassment from law enforcement and inform them of their rights should they encounter it.”
The warning that is being broadcasted by ACLU associates from distances as far as Alaska and New York alert people of their merits if questioned by police in Arizona.
Commentators on this new law feel that it will lead to racial profiling by police which will cause police to distrust Latinos in Arizona. There have been large groups that have shown their opposition to this law by having protests and boycotts targeting Arizona.
Because of the increasing number of people illegally crossing the border from Mexico, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer and other state officials feel that the law is necessary. According to Brewer the law is not preying on any persons particular background.
“It wouldn’t matter if you are Latino or Hispanic or Norwegian,” she said last month. “If you didn’t have proof of citizenship and the police officer had reasonable suspicion, he would ask and verify your citizenship. I mean, that’s the way that it is. That’s what the federal law says. And that’s what the law in Arizona says”.
On a poll conducted by CNN/Opinion Research Corp in late may it was concluded that 57 percent of people surveyed were in favor of Arizona’s new law, while 37 percent were against it.
In that same poll it was concluded that six out of 10 respondents felt that the federal government should be more pro-active on preventing illegal aliens from crossing in the U.S. border. They also felt that those already here should be deported.