Looks seem apt to play role in enforcing Arizona immigration law

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Source: The Arzona Republic

Looks seem apt to play role in enforcing Arizona immigration law
by Daniel González - Jul. 18, 2010 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic


Moments after signing Arizona's tough new immigration law in April, Gov. Jan Brewer was asked what an illegal immigrant looks like.

The question, posed during a news conference that was broadcast live on TV, seemed to catch Brewer off guard. After a long pause, she said, "I don't know what an illegal immigrant looks like. I can tell you that there are people in Arizona that assume they know what an illegal immigrant looks like. I don't know if they know that for a fact or not."

Her answer cut to the very heart of the controversy surrounding the law, which takes effect July 29. Although there are many people who assume they know what an illegal immigrant looks like, the fact is, it is impossible to tell a person's immigration status by appearance, experts say.

So despite assurances to the contrary, some civil-rights groups and others fear that enforcement of the law will lead to racial profiling. Several lawsuits already raise worries of civil-rights violations, and a group of Arizona law professors concluded the law authorizes enforcement based on ethnicity. That, they allege, would mean officers would end up harassing and possibly detaining people who aren't illegal immigrants.


Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/07/18/20100718illegal-immigration-profiling.html#ixzz0u7FQXb7z