Arizona House approves letting local police enforce immigration law

The Arizona House approved a proposal today to give state and local police the power to enforce federal immigration laws. Supporters sat the proposal is needed because the federal government isn't doing enough about the thousands of people who sneak across the border each year. They say police departments need to get rid of "sanctuary policies" that, in some cases, discourage or prohibit officers from inquiring about a person's immigration status. Many local police agencies in Arizona, the busiest illegal entry point on the nation's porous southern border, don't want the added duty. Opponents say such a massive undertaking would detract from the traditional roles police have in protecting communities from crime They also say local officers already have the authority to arrest illegal immigrants who commit crimes, that police agencies can't afford the new responsibilities and that the proposal could lead to racial profiling of Latinos. [more]