A Summary of SB 1070
Disclaimer: Though I do have a bit of experience in legal research and with the required wording of legal documents, I am not an attorney. This bill is fairly straight forward and easy to read, but it is possible that I may misinterpret something. Should this happen I invite any reader with with a law degree and appropriate experience to notify me of my error. Anything I state below may be verified by reading SB 1070 for yourself at the link provided.This bill is designed to severely cut down on illegal crossing into this country, the presence of those whom have crossed illegally into this country already, and to help cease their economic activity here. The bulk of the language in this bill speaks to the workplace and human smuggling. More specifically to procedures for investigating employers that knowingly hire illegals and the penalties involved there. I will not go into those parts much further because they are not the focus of the current firestorm around this bill. Should that change I will revisit and edit this summary as needed. I will note, however, that those sections have provided protections against entrapment by law enforcement both for the employer, and the worker. The section on human smuggling provides stiff penalties for the guilty, and legal recourse for the victims. There is also a brief section regarding the hire and picking up of the day labor types we normally see around the home improvement stores of a morning.
The flash point of this bill is contained within pages two and three. Allow me to shorten section B:
B. FOR ANY LAWFUL CONTACT MADE BY A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL OR AGENCY WHERE REASONABLE SUSPICION EXISTS THAT THE PERSON IS AN ALIEN WHO IS UNLAWFULLY PRESENT IN THE UNITED STATES, A REASONABLE ATTEMPT SHALL BE MADE, WHEN PRACTICABLE, TO DETERMINE THE IMMIGRATION STATUS OF THE PERSON.
Legal contact being a lawful stop, detention, or arrest. This means that after this law takes effect you will be stopped, contacted, or detained for the same reasons that you are now. The only differences being that after the law takes effect, if the officer suspects through your behavior or demeanor that you are here illegally, they may now ask you for proof of citizenship and deal with you accordingly should you be unable to provide it.
This does not mean that an officer may ask you for proof of citizenship because you're brown. Please note section J: THIS SECTION SHALL BE IMPLEMENTED IN A MANNER CONSISTENT WITH FEDERAL LAWS REGULATING IMMIGRATION, PROTECTING THE CIVIL RIGHTS OF ALL PERSONS AND RESPECTING THE PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES OF UNITED STATES CITIZENS. This means that if an officer stops you because you're brown, without cause, you, the ACLU, NAACP, and will have a case.
I will update as time allows.
Here is a link to SB 1070. Do yourselves a favor and read through it so nobody will be able to pull the wool over your eyes.
http://www.azleg.gov/legtext/49leg/2r/bills/sb1070s.pdf
The following two links are from a news station in Atlanta doing an independent investigation into the border problem. It is very informative and well worth a look.
http://www.wsbtv.com/video/23438021/
http://www.wsbtv.com/video/23438712/
