On April 25, 2012, the US Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of Arizona v. United States. By June 2012, the Court will decide the legal fate of Arizona's highly controversial immigration laws, more commonly referred to as SB 1070. The Arizona law has caused a nationwide controversy that implicates areas of international relations and public policy, and underscores tensions between state and federal governments. While the case will have an immediate effect on only the Arizona legislation, it has served as a flashpoint for the modern debate over immigration regulation in the US. A lack of comprehensive federal reform has prompted many states, including Arizona, to pass legislation that purports to enforce federal immigration law. Such laws have sought to grant state law enforcement officials expanded powers to identify potential undocumented immigrants, have made it a crime to fail to provide documentation of immigration status, and have attempted to make it more difficult for employers to hire resident aliens and undocumented immigrants. Proponents argue that these measures are required to fully address the growing problem of undocumented immigrants, while opponents have argued that these legislative measures lend legitimacy to open ethnic discrimination.... [more]
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TIMELINE
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5/21/2013: Senate Judiciary Committee approved immigration reform bill
4/29/2013: Colorado governor signed immigrant tuition bill
4/29/2013: Supreme Court denied Alabama immigration appeal
4/16/2013: US Senators unveiled immigration reform bill
4/2/2013: Oregon governor signed tuition bill for undocumented immigrants
3/31/2013: Bipartisan US senate group reached agreement on immigration reform
3/29/2013: Federal judge struck down part of Indiana immigration law ...[more]
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