On the morning of June 15, the Supreme Court announced its decision on Arizona’s SB1070, the controversial immigration law that, among other things, requires state law enforcement officers to stop and question individuals they suspect of being in the country illegally.
While the court struck down most of the law, it upheld the stop-and-question provision, undoubtedly the most critical aspect of the law.
But what does the Supreme Court’s decision mean for Latinos?
Fortuitously enough, the Pew Hispanic Center released a same-day report showing that Latinos differ greatly with the American public when it comes to the Arizona immigration law.
In a mid-June survey conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, 58 percent of Americans asked said they approve of the controversial law, while 38 percent said they disapprove.
In stark contrast, only 21 percent of Latinos said they approve of SB1070, while an overwhelming majority – 75 percent – said they disapprove.
When asked about approaches to immigration reform, 42 percent of the general public said equal priority should be given to tougher restrictions and providing a pathway to citizenship, while 28 percent said the sole focus should be on tougher restrictions and border security; 27 percent of Americans believe the priority should be placed on providing a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
Again, Latinos distinctly disagreed with the general public. A slim majority – 53 percent – said providing a pathway to citizenship should be the focus of solving the country’s illegal immigration crisis; 35 percent of Latinos said equal attention should be given to providing a pathway to citizenship and toughening restrictions, while only 10 percent favored making tougher restrictions and border security the sole priority of immigration reform.
According to a 2010 Pew Hispanic Center study, 77 percent of Latinos feel immigration enforcement should be the sole charge of federal agents, while a small minority – 15 percent – said local law enforcement officers should play an active role.
Such research shows that while immigration may not be the most important issue for Latinos during an election year, immigration reform still represents a defining goal of the Latino community — one that sets Latinos apart from the rest of America.
About Hector Luis Alamo, Jr.
Interesting.
i hate arizona its state is racist as fuck
If the Federal government is not enforcing laws that are already on the books, then the states have that responsibility.
Well, the Supreme Court of the United States begs to differ with you sir!
Wait, aren’t Latinos part of the “American public?” Way to go, Being Latino.
@ Mario: “The States are precluded from regulating conduct in a field that Congress, acting within its proper authority, has determined must be regulated by its exclusive governance,” US Supreme Court Justice Kennedy in the majority opinion of Arizona et al. vs. The United States.
For a President who has deported more illegal immigrants than any other, he sure is pushing for the Latino vote now isn’t he? Of course, many won’t pay attention to that little fact. If the Feds did their jobs “regulating with it’s exclusive governance” over this, none of this would be necessary.
I use to be against SB 1017 and what it stood for when I was in Michigan and found it wrong in so many ways, but recently I have moved to Arizona and not until than I had actually become a little more understanding of where the law makers are coming from. Illegal Immigration is a real out of control problem here, yea its easy to judge outside of the state where the bill would seem racist and still kinda is, but the state is trying to fix a legitimate problem that the federal government isn’t handling to well.
Andres please explain the problem,
Andres please explain the problem,
To me, it’s racial profiling and I never throw that card in the mix!!
Andres, go back to Michigan. As a legal immigrant who has been in Arizona for approximately 24 years I am interested in what you think makes illegal immigration “out of control out here.” The state is not trying to fix a legitimate problem, the state is run by racist biggots who don’t want to see brown faces or even black faces. I hope you are never racially profiled.