STATEMENT FROM CONGRESSMAN RUBÉN HINOJOSA ON THE SUPREME COURT RULING OF ARIZONA "ANTI-IMMIGRATION" LAW

 Washington—Today, Following the Supreme Court’s decision on the constitutionality of Arizona’s immigration law, Congressman Rubén Hinojosa, the 1st Vice Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, issued the following statement:

 "The ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court on the Arizona "anti-immigration" law does not go far enough in preventing the unjust harassment of anyone who looks Latino or sounds 'foreign.' Letting stand a provision that requires police to check someone's status because they "suspect" them of coming into the country illegally is preposterous. In this Arizona law scenario your Hispanic grandmother or little brother can be walking to the corner grocery store and be stopped and questioned if they merely "look suspicious."  Our Constitution must guarantee that all people - no matter where they were born or what color skin they have are afforded the same basic rights and treated equally.  While I am pleased that some of this unconstitutional law was defeated, it still leaves the door open for bigotry and harassment to prevail." 

Congressman Rubén Hinojosa (D-TX-15)

THE FOUR PROVISIONS ADDRESSED TODAY:

 Unconstitutional Section 3: Makes it a state crime for any person to violate provisions of the federal immigration law requiring registration and the carrying of registration documents. These actions are civil, not criminal, violations under federal law.

 Unconstitutional Section 5(C): Makes it a state crime for an immigrant who is unlawfully present and not authorized to work in the United States to apply for work, solicit work in a public place, or perform work within the state. This goes beyond federal law by criminalizing employment or the attempt to work by unauthorized individuals. Federal law punishes employers for knowingly hiring undocumented workers.

 Unconstitutional Section 6: Authorizes police officers to arrest an individual without a warrant where the officers have probable cause to believe that the individual has committed an offense that makes him or her deportable.

 UPHELD, subject to reviewing how implemented: Section 2(B): Requires state and local police to attempt to determine the immigration status of any person lawfully stopped, detained, or arrested whenever there is a “reasonable suspicion” that the person is unlawfully present, and verify that status with the federal government.

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