Arizona Racial Profiling Law Threatens Civil Liberties
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 30, 2010
CONTACT
Brandon Hensler, Director of Communications, ACLU of Florida, 786-363-2737, media@aclufl.org
Mayor información está disponible en: www.aclufl.org/travelalert
MIAMI – In response to civil liberties threats caused by the recent passage of Arizona’s racial profiling law, the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida issued a travel alert today informing Florida residents of their rights when stopped by law enforcement when traveling in Arizona. The unconstitutional law, known as SB 1070, requires law enforcement agents to demand "papers" from people they stop who they suspect are not authorized to be in the U.S. If individuals are unable to prove to officers that they are permitted to be in the U.S., they may be subject to warrantless arrest without any probable cause that they have committed a crime.
Although the law is not scheduled to go into effect until July 29, the ACLU of Florida is concerned that some law enforcement officers are already beginning to act on provisions of the law. Moreover, there has been a history of rampant racial profiling by law enforcement in Arizona, especially in Maricopa County, as well as a stated anti-immigrant policy of “attrition through enforcement” by Arizona lawmakers meant to create a hostile enough environment for Latinos and other people of color that they voluntarily leave the state.
“Floridians traveling to Arizona should know their rights and be warned of the dangers of the new Arizona law,” said Howard Simon, Executive Director of the ACLU of Florida. “Anyone, once stopped for a valid reason, can then be asked for their papers, based on whether, in the eyes of the police officer, they don’t ‘look American.’”
In addition to the travel alert, the ACLU has made available in English and Spanish materials on individuals’ rights if stopped by law enforcement in Arizona or other states as a result of SB 1070 or for any other reason. The materials include a downloadable card with instructions – applicable in any state – on coping with vehicle stops and questioning by police, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents or the FBI, as well as a Frequently Asked Questions document about SB 1070.
“Our principal goal is to protect Floridians traveling to Arizona from an immigration enforcement law that puts people at risk of unlawful detention,” said Muslima Lewis, ACLU of Florida Racial Justice Project Director. “Florida is home to individuals of many different nationalities and ethnicities. The Arizona law encourages the use of a racial profile that would target many Floridians for unlawful detention in blatant disregard of America’s most fundamental values of fairness and equality. It is likely that Florida residents traveling to Arizona could become victims of Arizona’s discriminatory law.”
The ACLU and other leading civil rights organizations filed a lawsuit challenging the Arizona law in May, but until the law is struck down, the ACLU warns that individuals traveling in Arizona must be aware of their rights if stopped there.
The travel alert is available at: www.aclufl.org/travelalert
Materials informing individuals of their rights when stopped by law enforcement and more information about the Arizona law, including an ACLU video and slide show, can be found at: www.aclu.org/what-happens-arizona-stops-arizona
Materials informing individuals of their rights when stopped by law enforcement optimized for mobile devices is available at: mobile.aclu.org
More information about the ACLU’s lawsuit, including information on co-counsel and plaintiffs, can be found at: www.aclu.org/immigrants-rights-racial-justice/aclu-and-civil-rights-groups-file-legal-challenge-arizona-racial-pr
More information about the ACLU of Florida’s work on racial profiling can be found at: http://www.aclufl.org/issues/issue_detail.cfm?iID=8
About the ACLU of Florida
The ACLU of Florida is freedom's watchdog, working daily in the courts, legislatures and communities to defend individual rights and personal freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. For additional information, visit our web site at: www.aclufl.org.
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