Opponents of Arizona's contentious immigration
law gathered lately outside the Salt Lake City Main Library to rally as the
U.S. Supreme Court commenced hearing oral arguments on the law.
Allie Schulte, a member of the Salt Lake Dream
Team, a group supporting legislation that would provide citizenship to
undocumented high school graduates brought into the country as minors, stated
that the Supreme Court's decision about Arizona's SB1070 would influence Utah. He
also added that he felt that these laws are not only going to affect Arizona,
but other states also.
Segments
of Utah's own immigration bill, HB497, as well as legal issues in Alabama, Georgia,
Indiana and South Carolina, are on hold until the Supreme Court makes its verdict.
Schulte stated that based
on what's come out in the news so far, the justices have decided to support
most of the tenets of SB1070. Eventually, it's going to be based on racial
profiling.
Chief Justice John Roberts said the court was observing
issues of federal and state power and not civil rights concerns. Even though
immigration policy is under the jurisdiction of the federal government, Arizona
and other states passed their own legislation, saying the federal government
doesn't do as much as necessary to fight illegal immigration.
In front of
a backdrop of Occupy Salt Lake tents, speakers at the rally spoke to the crowd
of around 30 people about the perils of Arizona's law and the need to take
action against it.
