Arizona’s controversial immigration law goes to Supreme Court

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. will hear arguments on an Arizona law that seeks to crack down on illegal immigration, a highly controversial issue that states around the nation have struggled with, amid record levels of immigration to the United States. Arizona legislators passed a tough immigration law after they were fed up with illegal immigrants crossing from Mexico, and what they say is the federal government’s inability to stop it. The federal government sued Arizona, claiming that the state overreached. Federal judges have struck down parts of the law that would require “unauthorized immigrants” to carry registration papers, let officers check some people’s immigration status, and arrest certain immigrants without probable cause.

The legal issue at hand before Supreme Court is whether states have any authority to step in to enforce immigration matters or whether that is the exclusive role of the federal government. This constitutional inquiry, in dry legal terms, is known as pre-emption. The state of Arizona has argued that illegal immigration creates financial hardship and raises safety concerns, and that the federal government has failed to effectively deal with the dilemma. The Obama administration asserts that enforcing immigration laws is a role for the federal government, not the states. A day before the matter was taken to the high court, Senator Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said, “Immigration is not, and never has been, an area where states are able to exercise independent authority.” Schumer believes the law is unconstitutional. The case is Arizona v. United States, and will be closely followed around the country.