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Arizona "Papers, Please" Law May Hit Tech Workers

dcblogs writes "H-1B workers and foreign students may think twice about attending school or working in Arizona as a result of the state's new immigration law. If a police officer has a 'reasonable suspicion' about the immigration status of someone, the officer may ask to see proof of legal status. Federal immigration law requires all non-US citizens, including H-1B workers, to carry documentation, but 'no state until Arizona has made it a crime to not have that paperwork on your person,' said immigration lawyer Sarah Hawk. It means that an H-1B holder risks detention every time they make a 7-11 run if they don't have their papers, or if their paperwork is out of date because US immigration authorities are behind in processing (which condition does not make them illegal). The potential tech backlash over the law may have begun yesterday with a call by San Francisco City Atty. Dennis Herrera 'to adopt and implement a sweeping boycott of the State of Arizona and Arizona-based businesses.'"

2 of 1,590 comments (clear)

  1. Re:US Citizens too by BadAnalogyGuy · · Score: 0, Redundant

    HOLY SHIT

    HOOOOLLLYYYY SHIT

  2. Re:What about the presumption of innocence? by sdguero · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Fuck you for saying fuck a state in a country that you are trying to become a citizen of.

    Maybe it's because so many people are trying to become citizens and the limited government agency resources cannot handle the load. Perhaps you should just give up and let the next person in line get in. Obviously you are frustrated with the situation...

    My Dad lies in Phoenix. They have MAJOR problems with illegal immigrants there. Want proof, go to any local news station's website and look at the headlines. Or check out the murder rate in Phoenix, it almost 2 1/2 times the national average. They have homicides on the daily and the VAST majority involve either illegal immigrants or people who are first generation Americans (i.e. their parents moved here (mostly illegally) and had kids and then everyone got citizenship).

    The cops are not going to be picking on a nerd named Robert who is waiting for his papers from USCIS. They are looking for criminals and this will give them the power they need to really crack down. By and large, the people that have been legal citizens in AZ for more than one generation support this move VERY STRONGLY. Of course I'm sure there will be a couple of incidents where somebody is in the situation you are talking about and that totally sucks for you. I'm also sure that some profiling will go on that will anger brown people living in the state legally and this move will hurt race relations overall. But it is more than worth it for me to know my Dad will be safer living by himself over there knowing the police have more power to help stop people from being slaughtered in there own homes.

    I live on the border as well, but in California and our problems pale in comparison. Why? We have very strict limitations on our freedoms that Arizona does not have. Some people might think "hey, AZ should just get all liberal like California and pass anti gun laws etc..." Fact of the matter is that California's model is NOT SUSTAINABLE. Even though the average Californian makes way more money and pays way more taxes than someone in AZ, our state governemnt is essentially bankrupt. Our schools are terrible, our roads are falling apart, and our police/fire departments are massively under staffed. These are hard facts dude, and I applaud AZ for making a very tough decision that I'm sure a boatload people in teh blue states will condemn them for.