Those living along the border react to SB1070
Reporter: Sergio Avila

NOGALES, Ariz. (KGUN9-TV) - It's been just over a week since Governor Jan Brewer signed a controversial immigration bill into law. People from all over the country have been weighing in. So KGUN 9 News wanted to hear from those who live along the border in Nogales. The law will allow police officers to question someone's legal status if they have a "reasonable suspicion" the person may be in

"It's way overdue because the problem is getting worse and worse," Kurt Schley, a Rio Rico, resident, said. Schley tells us the federal government should have acted on this issue before Arizona did.

"It's their responsibility to do something about the illegal immigration. They dropped the ball and somebody else had to do it," Schley said.

But of course the majority in this city is on the other side of this argument.

"I don't think the police should have anything to do with them. The police takes care of some stuff, they shouldn't be taking care of the illegals that are trying to come. That's the other people's job, the customs and all that stuff," Denise Valencia, a Nogales resident, said.

In Nogales the border is part of these people's lives, so I asked them if they think this law will help stop illegal immigration.

"It's very hard for me to think that with this law people are no longer going to cross or with this law that everything is going to stop," Maria Benitez, a Sonora resident, said.

"Hopefully I think it will be a tiny part of the puzzle but it's a start after so many years of nothing happening," Schley said.

Another thing the folks along the border were telling me was that they hope this law doesn't scare away would be shoppers who come over from Mexico to spend. Nogales' economy relies on those shoppers in order to do well.

We spoke to some of those Mexican shoppers and they tell me they would be more aware and cautious about being here but that most of them would still come because believe it or not they can find the bare necessities cheaper here than in Mexico.



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