Despite a federal judge's ruling that put most of Arizona's controversial immigration law on hold Wednesday, Tennessee lawmakers still plan to introduce a similar law when the legislature returns in January."The people of the United States have had enough and are sick and tired of the federal government abdicating its responsibility of securing the border and dealing with the people who are in this country illegally, especially when those people are committing crimes."
All four major candidates for Tennessee governor said Wednesday they support Arizona and that states must act if the federal government fails to stop illegal immigration.For now, opponents of the law have prevailed: The provisions that angered them will not take effect today, including sections that required officers to check a person's immigration status while enforcing other laws.
U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton also delayed parts of the law that required immigrants to carry their papers at all times, and made it illegal for undocumented workers to solicit employment in public places. She also blocked officers from making warrantless arrests of suspected illegal immigrants.
Hedy Weinberg, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, said she sees Bolton's ruling as a first step toward finding all the key provisions of the Arizona law unconstitutional. Read more here