Arizona immigration law takes effect

Parts of an Arizona immigration law are now in effect after a federal judge blocked several of its most controversial aspects yesterday.



The preliminary injunction, issued yesterday means that, at least for now, police are prevented from questioning people's immigration status if there is reason to believe they are in the country illegally.



United States District Judge Susan Bolton also blocked provisions of the law making it a crime for people to fail to apply for or carry alien registration papers.



It is also a crime for an unauthorized alien to solicit, apply for, or perform work if there is reason to believe that person might be subjected to deportation.



Arizona Governor Jan Brewer said the state will file an expedited appeal to the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals, signaling a legal escalation that some expect will end up before the US Supreme Court.



The parts of the law that are now in effect include a ban on so-called sanctuary cities with laws or policies that render them relatively safe for undocumented immigrants and the criminalization of hiring day laborers who are in the country illegally.