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The Supreme Court is expected to decide on a two-year-old controversial immigration law anytime this month, an issue that brought more than 1,000 immigration activists and Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio supporters to Tent City Saturday evening.
The protest was organized by the Unitarian Universalist Association, a religious organization, and sought to address issues such as Arizona's Senate Bill 1070 and the manner in which illegal immigrant detainees are treated by law enforcement officials. The planned protest prompted Arpaio to close Tent City for the day Saturday.
Phoenix Police at the event estimated more than 1,000 protesters, but there were reports early Sunday of 2,500 attendees.
First passed by the Arizona legislature in 2010, SB 1070 was expected to go into effect on July 29 of that year. Challengers to the law claim federal immigration policies supersede any state laws, and that the law encourages racial profiling by allowing officers to request proof of citizenship if they suspect someone is in the country illegally.
U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton issued a preliminary injunction blocking several portions of the law one day before it was to take effect. This decision has been upheld by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Arizona then appealed to the Supreme Court, who agreed to hear the case.
The court could decide as early as Monday.
The four key provisions the Supreme Court is reviewing in Arizona v. United States are:
- Section 2(B), which requires state law enforcement officials to request immigration status documents if “reasonable suspicion” exists that a person is in the country illegally.
- Section 3, which makes it illegal under state law for immigrants to violate federal laws that mandate them to apply for registration and carry a registration card.
- Section 5(C), which makes it a state crime for an unauthorized immigrant to seek employment in the U.S.
- Section 6, which authorizes state law enforcement officials to arrest immigrants without a warrant if the officer has probable cause to believe a crime has been committed. This would make the immigrant eligible for deportation.
Arpaio said no matter how the Supreme Court decides, he will continue to enforce the law.
"I don't expect any change on enforcing illegal immigration," Arpaio said.
He said as long as the laws are on the books, he will continue to enforce them.
"If there are no more laws, the sheriff won't enforce them," Arpaio said.
He said we need results from Congress to straighten out immigration issues.
Unitarian Universalist Association member Marianna Callahan, a Concord, Calif. resident, said she attended the protest seeking justice.
"We're hoping for some fair immigration laws," Callahan said. "We're protesting Arpaio's methods in detaining deportees in inhumane conditions. We're hoping for better results for SB 1070."
She said one of the group's major concerns was that SB 1070 legalizes racial profiling.
"This is not the America that we want to live in," Callahan said.
Flagstaff resident Martha Callahan, Marianna Callahan's sister, said she felt "Tent City" was inhumane.
"It's up to the courts to hand out punishment, not law enforcement," Martha said. "(Arpaio) has really overstepped his bounds with 'Tent City.' I think people need to be treated with dignity. "
Phoenix resident Brandy Baron, an Arpaio and SB 1070 supporter, said she is one of the few Americans of Mexican descent who supported SB 1070 when it was signed.
"I was one of the handful of supporters that were in the midst of a thousand or more Hispanics that were protesting against (SB 1070) that were there on the day that it was signed," Baron said. "I support (the law) 100 percent."
She said the law does not target "people with brown skin," but targets people who break the law. Baron said national immigration reform was not necessary, but current immigration laws need to be enforced.
"People that don't respect our laws and our borders don't respect our country and our people," Baron said. "We don't want to live with those people."
Conservative advocacy group Riders United for a Sovereign America President Tim Rafferty, a Tempe resident, said SB 1070 is fair and it works.
Rafferty said the nation's immigration laws do not need reform, but need to be enforced.
"If we would enforce the laws that are on the books now, it would go a long way," Rafferty said.
Reach the reporter at dgrobmei@asu.edu Follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook.
