With the country’s harshest immigration law scheduled to take effect in just two weeks and a lawsuit filed by the Obama administration that attempts to block the law–Arizona is at the epicenter of America’s battle over immigration.
90DAYSTOPHOENIX.com is a new independent media project sifting through the truth and lies clouding the immigration debate. Journalists, photographers, filmmakers and citizens contribute on-the-ground accounts of SB 1070 developments, and provide an inside look at this unfolding historic moment in Arizona. Fi2W’s Valeria Fernandez is one of the creators of the project.
On April 23, 2010 Republican Gov. Jan Brewer signed SB 1070 into law which gives Arizona authority over the federal government in the enforcement of immigration laws. The Arizona measure requires each police officer who stops, detains, or arrests people for violating even the most minor city ordinance to ask for immigration papers if they have “reasonable suspicions” that the people are unauthorized immigrants.
In the heightened atmosphere of an election year, proponents argue that SB 1070 will keep Arizona safe while critics argue that SB 1070 will encourage racial profiling of American citizens, and funnel police resources away from fighting real crime. Multiple lawsuits have been filed on constitutional grounds that seek to stop SB 1070 from going into effect on July 29, 2010 — 90 days after the Arizona legislature session ended.
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