PFAW: Supreme Court Ruling on Arizona Law is Important but Limited Victory

The Supreme Court invalidated most provisions of Arizona's draconian anti-immigration law, known as S.B. 1070, including Section 6 which granted state police greater authority than federal officers to make warrantless arrests of anyone they suspected of being undocumented. The decision upholds, however, the clearly discriminatory Section 2b - the "show me your papers" provision - which allows police to demand proof of immigration status from individuals they stop, detain or arrest. The Court did not rule on challenges to that provision which question its discriminatory effects. It will likely hear additional challenges on those grounds at a later time.

"Today's decision is a partial but important victory against S.B. 1070," said Michael Keegan, President of People For the American Way, "and yet another reminder of how important it is that Congress move quickly to pass comprehensive immigration reform. The Court's decision to uphold, for now, one of the most oppressive provisions of S.B. 1070 makes it painfully obvious how damaging the Republican obstruction on comprehensive immigration reform has been. No one should be forced to prove their right to be in this country simply because of the way they look, dress, or speak. These are not the American values we treasure, and we will continue to fight against these provisions in the courts, the Congress, and the halls of state legislatures.

"It's deeply concerning that Section 2b is still in effect--especially given the reckless and dangerous rhetoric of Governor Brewer and Sheriff Arpaio. Today's decision is important, but it is certainly not the end of this fight.

"The President recently took a courageous step to help young people - brought to the United States through no fault of their own - stay in this country and continue to contribute to their communities. Republicans in Congress should follow this example and suspend their obstruction of meaningful comprehensive reform to address the immigration crisis. Continuing to shirk that responsibility encourages dangerous state laws that threaten our civil liberties and harms hardworking individuals who have worked hard to live up to American ideals."