Thread: N.H.: Ariz. law stirs issue of illegals

Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Ariz. law stirs issue of illegals
By CAMERON KITTLE
Staff Writer

HUDSON – As controversy swells over a new Arizona immigration law set to take effect July 29, police chiefs from Hudson and New Ipswich say they still support enforcing immigration laws at the state level, nearly five years after they lost the fight to do so.

New Ipswich Police Chief Garrett Chamberlain and former Hudson Police Chief Richard Gendron drew national attention in 2005 when they arrested illegal immigrants for criminal trespassing and worked with state representatives to draw up legislation that would allow local police to be more involved with immigration enforcement.

Their attempts failed when Jaffrey-Peterborough District Court Judge L. Phillips Runyon III ruled the trespassing charges unconstitutional in August 2005, and House committees voted down multiple bills in February 2006.

Similar legislation was passed in Arizona this spring, and it has produced discussion around the country, including criticism from President Obama and a lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Justice.

The Arizona law requires police to investigate the immigration status of people they lawfully stop and have reason to believe are in the country illegally. It will also be illegal to lack immigration documents in Arizona.

The main criticism about the law is that Arizona police will not be able to determine a documented immigrant from an undocumented illegal.

The Arizona Republic newspaper in Phoenix also said police will be walking a “demographic tightropeâ€

maybe the few hundred illegals should make their way to NYC where the mayor welcomes them with open arms