On Friday April 23, 2010, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed SB 1070 into law.? This law is focused on immigration enforcement and appears to give broad authority to state and local law enforcement agencies to enforce federal immigration provisions.? The bill, among other things, requires law enforcement officers and other agents of the state to inquire about a person?s immigration status under certain circumstances.?
The passage and signing of the new law has pushed Arizona to the forefront of the national debate on immigration issues.? This is a controversial bill and has generated significant media coverage and spurred numerous debates, protests, and demonstrations.? The law will likely be the subject of multiple lawsuits addressing both questions of immigration law and various Constitutional issues.? This law will go into effect 90 days from the date it was signed by the governor.
We are carefully monitoring this situation and will be providing updates on specific actions and precautions that clients should consider taking in the coming weeks and months.