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SALT LAKE CITY -- American Civil Liberties Union affiliates in Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and 25 other states have issued a travel alert for Arizona ahead of the July Fourth holiday weekend because of the state's new immigration law.
The Arizona law requires police, while enforcing other laws, to question a person's immigration status if officers have a reasonable suspicion that the person is in the country illegally. It also makes it a state crime for legal immigrants to not carry their immigration documents and bans day laborers and people who seek their services from blocking traffic on streets.
The law doesn't go into effect until July 29, but lawyers fear some police agencies may be jumping the gun and acting on certain provisions in the law, including using reasonable suspicion to check on immigration status.
"We're very concerned about the possibility for Utah residents to be racially profiled," legislative and policy counsel Marina Lowe told KSL Newsradio Thursday.
Lowe is warning Utah travelers and reminding them of their rights. If they're being stopped and questioned, Lowe says travelers can ask if they are free to leave.
They also have the right to remain silent about their immigration status, if they are being questioned by officers that aren't immigration agents.
"It's often extremely intimidating to be stopped by law enforcement, and people sometimes forget about the rights that they do indeed have," Lowe said.
The group has posted a downloadable card on its website, akin to a "cheat sheet," that travelers can print.
Lowe says there are two reasons for the travel alert and other countermeasures -- to protect Utah residents and to send a message about what the ACLU deems an unconstitutional law.
E-mail: aadams@ksl.com
