ACLU sues the state over new immigration law
Reported by: Kimberly Houk
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) – The ACLU is suing the state over a new immigration law.
Robert Archeleta is an American citizen worrying about what his life may be like in one week when a new state law goes into effect.
“If I am demonized because of the way I look, I can’t feel very comfortable, and I won’t.”
Many Hispanics like Archeleta wonder what their lives will be like when police have the right to stop them and ask for proof of citizenship, but the ACLU along with others is suing the state, asking the courts to step in, and wipe this law off the books.
“It leads to racial profiling and leads to officers making unwarranted arrests of individuals,” says Karen McCreary of the ACLU.
They also say the law is unconstitutional since immigration enforcement falls under the purview of the federal government. Wayne Mccormack is a constitutional law professor at the University of Utah. He says, for the ACLU, this case is not necessarily a slam dunk.
“The state is in fact right in what they are doing by applying their law to something that is already illegal under federal law. That is a sensible argument.”
But, he says it may take more to convince a judge. The ACLU contends the law is highly discriminatory, and will divert police officers away from solving serious crimes by turning them into immigration agents. It’s the same point Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank spoke out about one year ago.
“As police officers we should profile criminal behavior, activity we can observe, that builds reasonable suspicion, that builds probable cause. Tell me what is the reasonable suspicion of people in the country undocumented.”
More than likely what the eye beholds is the very thing concerning to Hispanics.