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ACLU of Arizona Denounce “Papers, Please" Society Massive Bill
PHOENIX – The American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona today
denounced the passage of a massive immigration bill introduced
while legislators were away for Presidents Day weekend by Senate
President Russell Pearce and passed late last night by members of
the Senate Appropriations Committee by a vote of 7 to 6.
The omnibus bill, SB 1611, would truly turn Arizona into a “papers,
please” society, creating new obligations to screen members of the
public for citizenship and immigration status in every area from
vehicle registrations to college enrollment to employer verifications
and licensing. It would break families apart by requiring state
housing authorities to evict residents of a public housing unit if
anyone living in the dwelling is undocumented. In addition, it would
create a new crime of – literally – “driving while undocumented” and
require schools to close their classrooms to students who are unable
to prove their status.
“This bill is miles beyond SB1070 in terms of its potential to roll back
the rights and fundamental freedoms of both citizens and non-
citizens alike,” said Alessandra Soler Meetze, executive director of
the ACLU of Arizona. “It demonstrates the lack of leadership, lack of
priorities and complete lack of understanding by some Arizona
lawmakers of what it means to respect and uphold the Constitution
of the United States and Arizona.”
“SB 1611 represents an unprecedented attack on the rights of
students and creates a permanent underclass of young people in
this state who will be shut out of a basic education,” added Meetze.
“It defies the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1982 decision, Plyler v. Doe,
which prohibited states from conditioning access to public education
on who the child is, regardless of immigration status.”
Meetze added that the provision creating a new state offense of
driving while undocumented will allow local and state police to “pull
over anyone they suspect could be an immigrant. This will give
officers license to profile minority motorists, even those who have
not committed any traffic violation at all.”
In addition to the provisions mentioned above, the 29-page bill also:
- Prohibits universities or community colleges from admitting any
student who cannot present one of the listed documents to prove
legal status;
- Mandates that all businesses register with E-verify or face the
revocation of their business licenses;
- Establishes new eligibility requirements for public benefits that
violate federal law and enhances penalties (from a class 2 to a class
1 misdemeanor) for agency employees who fail to report
“discovered” violations of federal immigration law;
- Limits the types of documents a person can show to prove their
identity;
- Requires the police certification body , AZ POST, to revoke the
ability to be a peace officer for any officer who exercises his
discretion to not enforce a federal or state law;
- Prohibits judges from considering bail for any undocumented
immigrant who is charged with any felony offense;
- Establishes mandatory 6-month jail term for anyone convicted of
using another person’s identity to obtain employment; and
- Prohibits individuals from obtaining a vehicle title and registration,
fingerprint clearance card or license of any kind until they are able to
demonstrate satisfactory immigration status.
“This bill will expand our government bureaucracy beyond
recognition. It asks public employees in agencies with strapped
budgets to check the papers of every person who comes in the door
, over and above their regular job duties, without the necessary
training in this complex area of law,” added Meetze. “We have a
daunting $2.1 billion budget shortfall and an educational system in
shambles, yet Senator Pearce continues to promote these reckless,
unconstitutional policies in an attempt to bolster his anti-immigrant
agenda.”
In addition to passing SB1611, the Senate Appropriations Committee
also approved SB 1308 and SB 1309, two bills that attack the 14th
Amendment to the Constitution by redefining Arizona citizenship and
allowing the Governor to enter into a “Birth Certificate Compact” with
other states to deny standard birth certificates to U.S. citizen babies
born to immigrant parents. Congress must consent to the creation
of the compact in order for it to take effect.
“Our state legislature doesn’t have the right to decide which people
born in the United States are worthy of citizenship and which are
not,” added ACLU of Arizona Public Policy Director Anjali Abraham.
“State legislatures cannot circumvent the Constitution via legislation
and these bills should be rejected outright when they hit the Senate
floor.”
denounced the passage of a massive immigration bill introduced
while legislators were away for Presidents Day weekend by Senate
President Russell Pearce and passed late last night by members of
the Senate Appropriations Committee by a vote of 7 to 6.
The omnibus bill, SB 1611, would truly turn Arizona into a “papers,
please” society, creating new obligations to screen members of the
public for citizenship and immigration status in every area from
vehicle registrations to college enrollment to employer verifications
and licensing. It would break families apart by requiring state
housing authorities to evict residents of a public housing unit if
anyone living in the dwelling is undocumented. In addition, it would
create a new crime of – literally – “driving while undocumented” and
require schools to close their classrooms to students who are unable
to prove their status.
“This bill is miles beyond SB1070 in terms of its potential to roll back
the rights and fundamental freedoms of both citizens and non-
citizens alike,” said Alessandra Soler Meetze, executive director of
the ACLU of Arizona. “It demonstrates the lack of leadership, lack of
priorities and complete lack of understanding by some Arizona
lawmakers of what it means to respect and uphold the Constitution
of the United States and Arizona.”
“SB 1611 represents an unprecedented attack on the rights of
students and creates a permanent underclass of young people in
this state who will be shut out of a basic education,” added Meetze.
“It defies the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1982 decision, Plyler v. Doe,
which prohibited states from conditioning access to public education
on who the child is, regardless of immigration status.”
Meetze added that the provision creating a new state offense of
driving while undocumented will allow local and state police to “pull
over anyone they suspect could be an immigrant. This will give
officers license to profile minority motorists, even those who have
not committed any traffic violation at all.”
In addition to the provisions mentioned above, the 29-page bill also:
- Prohibits universities or community colleges from admitting any
student who cannot present one of the listed documents to prove
legal status;
- Mandates that all businesses register with E-verify or face the
revocation of their business licenses;
- Establishes new eligibility requirements for public benefits that
violate federal law and enhances penalties (from a class 2 to a class
1 misdemeanor) for agency employees who fail to report
“discovered” violations of federal immigration law;
- Limits the types of documents a person can show to prove their
identity;
- Requires the police certification body , AZ POST, to revoke the
ability to be a peace officer for any officer who exercises his
discretion to not enforce a federal or state law;
- Prohibits judges from considering bail for any undocumented
immigrant who is charged with any felony offense;
- Establishes mandatory 6-month jail term for anyone convicted of
using another person’s identity to obtain employment; and
- Prohibits individuals from obtaining a vehicle title and registration,
fingerprint clearance card or license of any kind until they are able to
demonstrate satisfactory immigration status.
“This bill will expand our government bureaucracy beyond
recognition. It asks public employees in agencies with strapped
budgets to check the papers of every person who comes in the door
, over and above their regular job duties, without the necessary
training in this complex area of law,” added Meetze. “We have a
daunting $2.1 billion budget shortfall and an educational system in
shambles, yet Senator Pearce continues to promote these reckless,
unconstitutional policies in an attempt to bolster his anti-immigrant
agenda.”
In addition to passing SB1611, the Senate Appropriations Committee
also approved SB 1308 and SB 1309, two bills that attack the 14th
Amendment to the Constitution by redefining Arizona citizenship and
allowing the Governor to enter into a “Birth Certificate Compact” with
other states to deny standard birth certificates to U.S. citizen babies
born to immigrant parents. Congress must consent to the creation
of the compact in order for it to take effect.
“Our state legislature doesn’t have the right to decide which people
born in the United States are worthy of citizenship and which are
not,” added ACLU of Arizona Public Policy Director Anjali Abraham.
“State legislatures cannot circumvent the Constitution via legislation
and these bills should be rejected outright when they hit the Senate
floor.”
Press Release February 23, 2011
| Hispanic Institute of Social Issues © 2006-2011 All rights reserved. webmaster@hisi.org |
“State legislatures cannot
circumvent the Constitution via
legislation and these bills should be
rejected outright when they hit the
Senate floor,” states Anjali
Abraham ACLU of Arizona Public
Policy Director.
Photo by Eduardo Barraza | Barriozona
circumvent the Constitution via
legislation and these bills should be
rejected outright when they hit the
Senate floor,” states Anjali
Abraham ACLU of Arizona Public
Policy Director.
Photo by Eduardo Barraza | Barriozona
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