Portland – The ACLU of Maine and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland reacted today to the Supreme Court split decision on Arizona’s controversial immigration law, called SB 1070. The Court struck down some of the law, but upheld the most hotly disputed provision which requires police to determine the immigration status of someone arrested or detained when there is “reasonable suspicion” they are not in the U.S. legally.
“The decision will have a limited impact in Maine because the legislature has already rejected Arizona’s controversial approach,” said Shenna Bellows, Executive Director of the ACLU of Maine Foundation. “Racial profiling and “show me your papers” tactics hurt citizens and non-citizens alike and do not reflect fundamental values of fairness and equality.”
A similar proposal was introduced in 2011 in the Maine legislature but was withdrawn by the sponsor after a variety of civil rights, business, and religious groups expressed concerns about the unintended consequences of such a law in Maine. Arizona suffered economic losses in the millions of dollars pursuant to passage of the controversial SB 1070, the “show me your papers” law. A 2011 study found that due to convention and lodging cancellations, Arizona has already experienced $141 million in lost spending by convention attendees, 2,761 lost jobs, $86.5 million in lost earnings, and $9.4 million in lost tax revenues since the law was passed.[1]
“Arizona’s law will unnecessarily lead to family separation and breakdown and infringe upon the Church’s ability to minister to the immigrant population. It undermines trust between immigrant communities, including churches and law enforcement. The law’s emphasis on enforcement alone conflicts with the values of family unity and religious freedom. A balance between these competing goals is best achieved by the federal government,” said Marc Mutty, Director of Public Policy at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland.
The Immigration Policy Center provides a state by state breakdown of immigration populations.[2] Immigrants and their children are significant shares of Maine’s population and electorate. The foreign-born share of Maine’s population was 3.4% in 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Maine was home to 45,666 immigrants in 2010. 56.6% of immigrants (or 25,847 people) in Maine were naturalized U.S. citizens in 2010—meaning that they are eligible to vote. In contrast, unauthorized immigrants comprised less than 1% of the state’s workforce (or fewer than 10,000 workers) in 2010, according to a report by the Pew Hispanic Center.
“Show me your papers” laws lead to racial profiling and undermine effective law enforcement,” said Alysia Melnick, Public Policy Counsel for the ACLU of Maine. “Fortunately, the tide is turning away from punitive immigration laws and toward policies that advance fairness and economic opportunity.”
In 2011, five states—Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia, Utah, and Indiana—passed laws with provisions similar to those in SB 1070. The ACLU and a coalition of civil rights organizations have sued in each of these states on constitutional grounds, and lower courts have responded by blocking core provisions of each of the laws. The Supreme Court’s ruling could affect provisions of those laws that are similar to those in Arizona’s SB 1070. No states passed Arizona-style immigration laws in 2012.
