Would such a decision have a negative impact on immigrant communities in the U.S.?

TIMES INT'L

Dear Editor,
As is customary, Guyanese at home follow news and other updates on matters relating to immigration and so on in the U.S. This is so because almost everyone here has a relative or a close family in the U.S.; so whenever there is “breaking news” about a court ruling or a change in immigration policy etc, we follow closely in order to find out how it will impact persons we know.
For example; a few days ago, a leading human rights group came out and warned that the United States Supreme Court’s decision to uphold part of Arizona’s immigrant law puts Caribbean and other immigrant families in Arizona and other states at greater risk of abuse from local authorities.
Last week’s ruling in the case, Arizona vs United States, overturned several sections of the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighbourhoods’ Act, commonly known as SB 1070, on the grounds that they are pre-empted by federal law. But it left intact a section requiring police to attempt to verify a person’s immigration status if they have “reasonable suspicion” that the individual is in the country without authorisation.
Already some Guyanese and other nationalities living in the U.S. have a fear of being targeted and here comes legislation which makes it legal for persons to be stopped whenever there is “reasonable suspicion” that the person is in the country illegal. So what’s next; and how will such ruling impact our relatives and friends living in the U.S.?
Already some persons are coming out and making their views known publicly. “The Supreme Court ruling opens the door to anti-immigrant abuses we’ve seen in other states with similar laws,” said U.S. researcher at Human Rights Watch Grace Meng. According to Meng, the court’s ruling on the law’s “reasonable suspicion” provision focuses on a narrow legal issue and does not foreclose other challenges to this provision.
Perhaps time will tell whether this ruling would have serious implications for immigrant communities. If this turns out to be the case, community representatives would need to step in and ensure that persons’ human rights are not violated.
Yours sincerely,
T Thomas

Related posts