Arizona lawmakers modify (new) immigration law - LA Times

[wiggle-room]

Arizona lawmakers modify immigration law

Legislators ban race from being used by police as a factor to identify illegal immigrants and require scrutiny only of people who police stop, detain or arrest.

snip:

The Arizona legislature late Thursday narrowed a controversial immigration law in response to allegations that the measure legalized racial profiling and forced police to determine the immigration status of people they encountered on the streets.

The initial law, signed by Gov. Jan Brewer last week, required police to determine someone's immigration status if officers formed a reasonable suspicion about their legality based during any "lawful contact." That led to suggestions by some legal experts that police would be obligated to scrutinize even people who simply asked for directions. A Phoenix police officer who patrols an area near a school sued, contending that it would require him to ask children he encounters during the day if they are in the country legally.

Lawmakers Thursday night changed the language to require scrutiny only of people who police stop, detain or arrest. They also changed a section of the bill that barred officers from "solely" using race as grounds for suspecting someone is in the country illegally; opponents noted that would allow race to be a factor. The legislators removed the word "solely" to bar race from being used at all by officers enforcing the law.

snip:

"They're nice cosmetic changes," said former State Sen. Alfredo Gutierrez at a press conference Friday at which activists called for a boycott against Arizona and companies based in the state. "But they're insufficient."

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-arizona-immigration-20100501,0,2712336.story