Salt Lake City police chief blasts Ariz. immigration bill
April 14th, 2010 @ 12:05pm
By Adam Thomas

SALT LAKE CITY -- Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank can't believe the immigration bill that could soon become law in Arizona.
Related:
Immigration Law in Arizona Gets Tough
he Arizona House on Tuesday approved a bill to crack down on illegal immigration by making it against state law to be in Arizona without legal immigration documents.

"This sets law enforcement back 30 to 40 years," Burbank said on Wednesday's Doug Wright Show.

Arizona lawmakers have approved a bill that would make it a misdemeanor to not have the proper immigration paperwork. Also, police would be able to determine a person's immigration status based simply on reasonable suspicion.

Burbank calls that, in essence, racial profiling. He's also worried about the effect on documented workers and citizens.

"Because in order to get to those people, you have to ask anybody of color who looks like they might not be from this country," he explained.

If the bill becomes law, it would likely face a host of legal challenges. Although some technicalities need to be worked out, Ariz. Gov. Jan Brewer is expected to sign it.

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