Great article over on lexology.com by Veronica K. Choy talking about the effect Arizona’s new immigration law has on Canadians.
If you’re not familiar with the law, currently if you enter the US illegally then you are an illegal alien…but that’s at the federal level. Arizona passed a law making it illegal at the state level to be an illegal alien. This means that state and local law enforcement now has the ability to stop anyone where “reasonable suspicion exists that the person is an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States.”
From Veronica’s article:
Further, the law further states that a person is presumed to NOT be illegal if he/she is able to provide: (1) a valid Arizona driver’s license, (2) a valid Arizona Non-operating identification license, (3) a valid tribal enrolment card or other form of tribal identification or any valid US federal, state or local government issued identification (but only if the issuance of that identification is based upon proof of legal presence).
Which brings us to the critical question: “What Canadian, who is visiting Arizona on a temporary basis, would have any of the above listed documentation?”
I can answer that for you Veronica: Practically none! While this law is targeted at illegal aliens crossing over from Mexico, keep in mind that Canadians are just as foreign as anyone from any other country visiting the US, and laws like these can put us at risk of scrutiny and potential bouts of quality time with local law enforcement if *something* about us is deemed suspicious.
Think you can ignore this if you never visit Arizona? Do you visit Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Maryland, and Colorado? Because according to the article those states are considering tougher immigration laws as well.
Have a read through the article and consider Veronica’s recommendations. And if you’re heading to Arizona, try not to look suspicious.
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