Analysis of the Controversial Arizona Immigration Law

Since some of the provisions of Arizona Senate Bill 1070 (the controversial Arizona immigration statute) implicate federalism issues, you might find "Arizona Senate Bill 1070: A Preliminary Report" of interest.  It has been posted on SSRN by its authors: Professors Gabriel J. Chin (University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law; University of Arizona School of Government and Public Policy), Carissa Byrne Hessick (Arizona State University Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law), Toni M. Massaro (University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law), and Marc L. Miller (University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law).

The abstract states:

This paper explores SB 1070, the 2010 Arizona law creating several new immigration-related crimes in the Arizona code and imposing a set of duties on Arizona law enforcement agencies and officers, some enforceable by private suit. We lay out the main features of the statute, show how they fit in to current Arizona and federal law, and are in many respects novel. We also explore some of the interpretive and constitutional issues presented by particular sections of the law. 

We emphasize that our views are necessarily preliminary. To understand this bill requires the expertise of one half of a law school faculty, since issues arise about both structural and substantive constitutional law, immigration law, criminal law, criminal procedure, state and local government law, and other fields. Further, SB 1070 includes many provisions whose interpretation is open to a range of interpretations. Accordingly, we invite comments and rejoinders to this analysis.

~clf