The Wrong Approach: State Anti-Immigration Legislation in 2011
On April 23, 2010, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed into law SB 1070, the nation’s most punitive immigration legislation, placing anti-immigrant initiatives into the national spotlight alongside herself and the bill’s sponsor, Arizona State Senator Russell Pearce.
The legislation was widely condemned by the country’s leading civil rights organizations for essentially codifying and legitimizing racial profiling. However, in spite of the damage that Arizona has suffered in terms of its weakened national image, lost business and tourism revenue, and legal fees related to SB 1070, the legislators and private interest groups that helped pass this law announced their intent to pass similar laws in other states.
