Arizona's harsh immigration laws have been accused again

> Arizona's harsh immigration laws have been accused again (Alberta Times) Groups opposing Arizona's immigration laws filed a complaint with the federal court on the 31st, asking the state to stop enforcement...

(Alberta Times)

Groups opposing Arizona's immigration laws filed a complaint with the federal court on the 31st, asking the state to stop enforcing a provision of the law that prohibits people from obstructing traffic by seeking or providing casual labor services on the roadside. The Mexican Legal Defense and Educational Fund and other groups alleged that this provision violated the constitutional guarantee of free speech because it restricted people's right to express their need for work; the state could not enforce a statewide ban based on sporadic incidents in Phoenix of blocking traffic while looking for work. Federal District Judge Susan Bolton ruled in July last year that some provisions of the SB1040 immigration law can be enforced, including recruiting or waiting for workers on the roadside; other more controversial provisions, such as the police being able to ask people about their immigration status during stops, cannot be enforced. Governor Brewer unsuccessfully appealed Bolton's ruling, and she has appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Brewer's attorneys say the restrictions on casual workers address safety concerns, as they distract motorists, annoy pedestrians, and trespass and damage private property. They said casual workers gathered on the roadside, waving for vehicles to stop and swarming stopped vehicles. In Phoenix, Chandler, Mesa and Spring Mountain, day workers left water bottles, food wrappers and other trash on the roadside. Bolton had previously rejected a request by Mexican-American groups to bar enforcement of the day-worker rule, but allowed the groups to sue again after the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in September on a similar law. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the city of Redondo Beach, Calif., cannot enforce a law that prohibits day workers from standing on public sidewalks and asking motorists for work because the law violates workers’ free speech rights and is so broad that it would make it illegal even for children to yell “wash your car” at passing cars.