The law, which allows police to question anyone they suspect of being in the country illegally, is scheduled to go into effect July 29. The heads of several law enforcement agencies told Attorney General Eric Holder that the law will lead to increased crime by breaking down the trust between police and residents in certain communities, while taking police away from more important enforcement activities.
"We will be unable to do our jobs," Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck told reporters after meeting with Holder. "Laws like this will actually increase crime, not decrease crime."
John Harris, president of the Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police, said the law comes at a time when many municipalities are in the midst of budget difficulties. In addition, Tucson Police Chief Roberto Villasenor said the law will not be effective because "we doubt the federal government can even handle the numbers of people we will bring to them."
Police chiefs from Philadelphia, Houston, Minneapolis, San Jose and Salt Lake City were also at the meeting, which was organized by Holder and the Police Executive Research Forum. The fact that the heads of some of the largest police organizations in the country are against this law says a lot.
Holder has spoken out against the new law, saying it could increase racial profiling. He is also considering a legal challenge to the law.
At least five lawsuits challenging it are pending, including one from an Arizona police officer who says the law does not give him any criteria to stop people and would force him to racially profile.
It's clear that this law is not the answer to this country's immigration issues. President Obama's plan to send 1,200 troops to help police the U.S. border with Mexico is also a band-aid measure. Congress needs to begin an examination of our immigration policies and find ways to fix our broken system before more states are tempted to pass desperate laws. Most Americans agree with the need for an overhaul.
"It is clear that a failure to act on the federal level is resulting in state policies that undermine our most cherished values and, quite frankly, our safety," Holder said earlier this month.
The first step, however, is to strike down the immigration law in Arizona. It's time for Holder to act.
21-May-10 - Its tough for a tiger to change its stripes. And in the case of the 70-year-old Julianna Farrait, wife of Frank Lucas, one of the most notorious drug kingpins in American history, prison stripes might again be a part of her wardrobe.
21-May-10 - Its tough for a tiger to change its stripes. And in the case of the 70-year-old Julianna Farrait, wife of Frank Lucas, one of the most notorious drug kingpins in American history, prison stripes might again be a part of her wardrobe.
20-May-10 - A Memphis, Tenn., man was babysitting his girlfriend's toddler when she defecated on the floor. The man reacted to the accident by beating the 2-year-old toddler to death with a basketball shoe.
17-May-10 - Geoffrey Fieger, the attorney representing the family of Aiyana Jones, a 7-year old who was shot dead during a police raid, says police are trying to cover up the truth about what exactly happened.
18-May-10 - Vicki Valentine has had to live through the foreclosure nightmare that is affecting all of America. She recently watched a crew of men break the lock on her door and take possession of the home she owned for 30 years. Her father paid off the mortgage in 1984, only to see his daughter lose the home 26 years later over a $362 water bill.
18-May-10 - President Barack Obama's very colorful, very opinionated ex-pastor, Jeremiah Wright, is making headlines yet again, but this time it is in the form of the written word. The Associated Press came across an explosive, missive written by Wright that talks about the president in a very unflattering light.
14-May-10 - Popular 'Today' show host Matt Lauer and his wife of 12 years, Annette, have split. Word on the street is that when Lauer was in Vancouver covering the Winter Olympics, he allegedly "bumped Uggs" with Whitney Houston's half-sister, Alexis Houston.
12-May-10 - Rap megastar Lil Wayne, who is currently serving time at Riker's Island due to a 2007 gun charge, was snitched on by a fellow inmate for concealing "unauthorized music contraband."
12-May-10 - The Kellogg Foundation is awarding $75 million over five years to undo the effects of racism on children in poor communities, I cheered the efforts of the Michigan-based nonprofit.
Enforcing the law is their job they dont get to pick and choose what laws they like and dislike , they dont seem to mind throwing weed smokers in jail. They always use the same old excuses when it comes time for change
charles, I agree with you. If they don't like their jobs; they should quit. They don't mind having mass DNA roundups on males in communities when they can't find a rapist and murderer. They have had several mass male roundups in this country and not one spoke out against it. They even force the men to give up their DNA. What's wrong with mass roundups for illegal aliens? Nothing.
To say the law is unconstitutional is rediculous, the law was broken when those people crossed the border unlawfully. I cannot commit a crime give the proceeds of that crime to someone else and call it a legal gift. I think what the problem is a whole lot of hispanics have worked their way into the government and is putting pressure on their chums to speak out against this law in order to keep their people in this country . Only the United States would invite a foriegn President here to speak and criticise our laws and we wonder what is wrong with us .Spend a day in my neighborhood 3 miles from downtown LA and its like a 3rd world country. we've been invaded.
I SECOND THAT EMOTION ,CHARLES I CANNOT GO TO ANOTHER COUNTRY AND JUST CHECK IN AND START WORKING.IT DOES NOT HAPPEN LIKE THAT.WE HAVE ALREADY CREATED A MESS ,BY NOT ENFORCING THE LAWS, THESE PEOPLE ARE LYING AND CHEATING TO TAKE OUR JOBS AWAY. LATINO'S HAVE BECOME GOVERNMENT OFFFICALS AND HIRE PLENTY OF LATINO'S WHETHER THEY ARE LEGAL OR NOT. WE TRIED TO HELP AND THEY ARE KILLING US NOW.
While everyone is commiserating about Arizona, racism, and racial profiling, develop a strategy to deal with the racism within the illegal immigrant/ latino community. We have neighborhoods in the city of Los Angeles and LA County where a Black American is risking his life moving into a rental or buying there. We have the South before the Civil Rights Era in some areas. Arizona must have more problems than the rest of the nation is aware of.
I live in los angeles. Not only do you risk you life moving into the wrong neighborhood just driving on the wrong street can get you killed .there is an undeclared war by latinos on blacks . this how they make thier bones and other latinos see nothing wrong with it . I cannot believe some blacks can say we have to learn to live together without knowing the real situation.
I agree with you. I also live in Los Angeles and I know about the war Latinos have against African Americans. It is very dangerous. It is worse than it was back in the 60's and 50's for African Americans who go into the "wrong" neighborhoods. Latino's beat and kill African Americans here all the time and it's swept under the rug. The officials refuse to say it's racial because they don't want to lose their large illegal work force who they under pay. I couldn't care less about those "illegal" people. They broke the law when they crossed the border. Why don't they stand in line like other immigrants. They always want special treatment. I have friends here on student visas and when they expire they are forced to go home. But these illegals feel like they should get special treatment and be allowed to stay. It's ridiculous. Also when you drive by most warehouse after work, the only people coming out are Latinos. I know plenty of Afican Americans who applied for the jobs and were turned down. The employers love to hire illegals because they dont let them join the union, they pay them minimun wage or less and they work them like slaves. All the things African Americans fought for in the 60's is being erased by the illegals who will work for pennies.
Why don't you tell the whole story about Holder's meeting with the POLICE CHIEFS. They are an admitted PROGRESSIVE ASSOCIATION of POLICE CHIEFS, in other words left wing and open borders proponents. That is what is wrong with our country. What don't you understand about ILLEGAL ?
This law means that anyone who even LOOKS Hispanic can be stopped and asked for papers. It's outrageous! We do need an overhaul of our immigration laws, but not by violating a great many of our citizens rights.
FALSE this is lie is perpetrated by the people who are profiting from the illegals mainly other latinos . in fact the law dosent go far enough because only in their contact with suspected aliens can the police inquire into their immigration status, but I would voluteer to point out the obvious illegals they are not that hard to find . Adele these people have no intentions of becoming americans are even participating in paying taxes. They are just milking us dry.
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Comments: (23)
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By: charles on 5/27/2010 11:58PM
Enforcing the law is their job they dont get to pick and choose what laws they like and dislike , they dont seem to mind throwing weed smokers in jail. They always use the same old excuses when it comes time for change
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By: john on 5/30/2010 8:54AM
charles, I agree with you. If they don't like their jobs; they should quit. They don't mind having mass DNA roundups on males in communities when they can't find a rapist and murderer. They have had several mass male roundups in this country and not one spoke out against it. They even force the men to give up their DNA. What's wrong with mass roundups for illegal aliens? Nothing.
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By: charles on 5/28/2010 12:14AM
To say the law is unconstitutional is rediculous, the law was broken when those people crossed the border unlawfully. I cannot commit a crime give the proceeds of that crime to someone else and call it a legal gift. I think what the problem is a whole lot of hispanics have worked their way into the government and is putting pressure on their chums to speak out against this law in order to keep their people in this country . Only the United States would invite a foriegn President here to speak and criticise our laws and we wonder what is wrong with us .Spend a day in my neighborhood 3 miles from downtown LA and its like a 3rd world country. we've been invaded.
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By: pauline on 5/31/2010 1:11AM
I SECOND THAT EMOTION ,CHARLES
I CANNOT GO TO ANOTHER COUNTRY AND JUST CHECK IN
AND START WORKING.IT DOES NOT HAPPEN LIKE THAT.WE HAVE ALREADY CREATED A MESS ,BY NOT ENFORCING THE LAWS, THESE PEOPLE ARE LYING AND CHEATING TO TAKE OUR JOBS AWAY. LATINO'S HAVE BECOME GOVERNMENT OFFFICALS AND HIRE PLENTY OF LATINO'S WHETHER THEY ARE LEGAL OR NOT. WE TRIED TO HELP AND THEY ARE KILLING US NOW.
STAND UP FOR OUR RIGHTS
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By: BJ on 6/06/2010 11:23PM
While everyone is commiserating about Arizona, racism, and racial profiling, develop a strategy to deal with the racism within the illegal immigrant/ latino community. We have neighborhoods in the city of Los Angeles and LA County where a Black American is risking his life moving into a rental or buying there. We have the South before the Civil Rights Era in some areas. Arizona must have more problems than the rest of the nation is aware of.
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By: charles on 5/30/2010 9:45AM
I live in los angeles. Not only do you risk you life moving into the wrong neighborhood just driving on the wrong street can get you killed .there is an undeclared war by latinos on blacks . this how they make thier bones and other latinos see nothing wrong with it . I cannot believe some blacks can say we have to learn to live together without knowing the real situation.
Report This
By: shay on 5/30/2010 3:06PM
I agree with you. I also live in Los Angeles and I know about the war Latinos have against African Americans. It is very dangerous. It is worse than it was back in the 60's and 50's for African Americans who go into the "wrong" neighborhoods. Latino's beat and kill African Americans here all the time and it's swept under the rug. The officials refuse to say it's racial because they don't want to lose their large illegal work force who they under pay. I couldn't care less about those "illegal" people. They broke the law when they crossed the border. Why don't they stand in line like other immigrants. They always want special treatment. I have friends here on student visas and when they expire they are forced to go home. But these illegals feel like they should get special treatment and be allowed to stay. It's ridiculous. Also when you drive by most warehouse after work, the only people coming out are Latinos. I know plenty of Afican Americans who applied for the jobs and were turned down. The employers love to hire illegals because they dont let them join the union, they pay them minimun wage or less and they work them like slaves. All the things African Americans fought for in the 60's is being erased by the illegals who will work for pennies.
Report This
By: Harold W. Sutherland on 5/28/2010 11:08AM
Why don't you tell the whole story about Holder's meeting with the POLICE CHIEFS. They are an admitted PROGRESSIVE ASSOCIATION of POLICE CHIEFS, in other words left wing and open borders proponents. That is what is wrong with our country.
What don't you understand about ILLEGAL ?
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By: adele on 5/30/2010 7:37AM
This law means that anyone who even LOOKS Hispanic can be stopped and asked for papers. It's outrageous! We do need an overhaul of our immigration laws, but not by violating a great many of our citizens rights.
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By: charles on 5/30/2010 9:36AM
FALSE this is lie is perpetrated by the people who are profiting from the illegals mainly other latinos . in fact the law dosent go far enough because only in their contact with suspected aliens can the police inquire into their immigration status, but I would voluteer to point out the obvious illegals they are not that hard to find . Adele these people have no intentions of becoming americans are even participating in paying taxes. They are just milking us dry.
Report This