If you’d like to discuss immigration law, contact RLG attorney Brian Bergin., dweissman@roselawgroup.com
A federal court Thursday blocked key provisions of South Carolina’s anti-immigrant law and, by inviting additional legal challenges to civil rights abuses, recognized that harms could take place if police officers check people’s immigration status.
The Southern Poverty Law Center is part of a coalition of groups that challenged the constitutionality of the law.
The ruling reaffirms a December 2011 ruling that blocked key sections of the law, including those that aimed to turn unlawful presence into a state crime and to criminalize everyday activities such as giving a ride or renting an apartment to an undocumented immigrant.
While today’s decision by the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina in Charleston leaves room for implementation of a “show me your papers” provision, it invites future challenges when enforcement of that provision involves lengthy detentions and other civil rights issues.
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the portion of Arizona’s immigration law permitting law enforcement to check residency of persons suspected of committing a crime.
