WASHINGTON.- In a split decision Monday, the Supreme Court up-held part of the Arizona anti-illegal immigration law, which allows police to ask about citizen status during stops and pull-overs. The court rejected other parts of the law such as the provision that makes it a state crime for an illegal immigrant to seek employment.
While the decision to up-hold the "show me your papers," aspect of the law was unanimous, the striking down of other parts of the bill was a consequence of a 5-3 vote, where the conservative Justices -Antonin Scalia, Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas voted against slashing the employment mandate and wanted the entire law to be upheld.
The remaining five Justices argued that the issue of immigration is a national subject and therefore the federal government has precedence over the policies regarding it.
Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the majority statement, "Arizona may have understandable frustrations with the problems caused by illegal immigration while that process continues, but the state may not pursue policies that undermine federal law," according to the New York Times.
Although a large chunk of the bill was knocked down, the Governor of Arizona, Jan Brewer, called the ruling a "victory....I am confident our officers are prepared to carry out this law responsibly and lawfully. Nothing less is acceptable," according to Yahoo News.
The controversial bill was called SB1070, and was passed by the State of Arizona in 2010. At the time, the Obama administration announced that the bill directly conflicted with the federal immigration laws.
Monday President Obama told the New York Times, "I agree with the Court that individuals cannot be detained solely to verify their immigration status. No American should ever live under a cloud of suspicion just because of what they look like...Going forward, we must ensure that Arizona law enforcement officials do not enforce this law in a manner that undermines the civil rights of Americans."
The court's decision is sure to help Obama's recent policy on granting certain illegal immigrants legal status.
