Because I have not read the entire bill I can only respond based on what I have seen and heard on media outlets which many times is skewed to support a particular stance. Based on what I know of the subject I can't say whether it is fair or not but I do know that it definately opens the door to people being profiled based solely on the color of their skin. There was a cop on one of the news shows who is filing a suit against the state. He claims the law works lke this: IF there are 4 people in the car, two of whom are Hispanic and two of which are say, asian and caucasian he is to only ask the Hispanics for their citizen card (or whatever card it is they hold). I have a problem with that. For some reason it reminds me of slavery days, when the free slaves had to carry their papers on them.

I totally get that something needs to be done about illegal immigrants but I'm sure there are better ways to weed them out. I hear people saying that they contribute to taxes, which may be true, but there are also costs associated with illegal immigrants like the video I believe IMHO posted in another question, where there was an accident and like ten Hispanics (presumably illegal) fled the scene. Surely there were people hurt. Who is going to pay for that. Still overall many people get their opinions of other races based soley on what the media says. Many people do not realzie how much their opinions are swayed by the media, and many of the people who dislike them are the ones who have probably never met a Mexican. I obviously do not have a cut and dry answer, because it is not a cut and dry issue but it would be really nice if law inforcement would focus on the white men who are hiring these people. If they could not get jobs, if they realized there was zero tolerance for hiring illegal immigrants, many, but not all, would stop coming over here.

I think the issue being ignored is WHY Mexicans are coming over here in the first place. Perhaps it is because of the extreme poverty they face. The US runs to the aid of many countries and causes and I think if they would invest a little time and effort in bettering the lives of Mexicans, maybe the Mexicans would not be so inclined to come over here. Mexicans realize they are not wanted here, I'm sure they deal with racism on a constant basis and they probably would love nothing more than to be in their little village with people who will not treat them like crap, but due to the issues with poverty they come and take a chance with the US. Does that make it right? NO, justifiable, maybe. All I can say is that I meet Mexicans on a daily basis as a bank teller. The majority of the ones who come in my bank are here legally, despite what the media would have you believe. We ask for two ID"s and verify that they are legit. Maybe five percent of the ones who come in do not have proper ID (which raises a red flag). The Mexicans I have met are extemely hardworking, humble people and the legal ones deserve respect, and yes, even the illegal ones deserve a bit of compassion because they are human beings too. This earth does not belong to us, it belongs to God.

I said this on one of the other questions about the same subject. Why doesn't the U.S. make laws to penalize the companies and individuals who hire illegal aliens because they are cheap labor? It won't do that because it doesn't want to offend the wealthy business class. That is why all of the illegals came here. They knew that it was very easy to get jobs here at one time. As far as I can remember, the U.S. did nothing to bring companies, corporations and individuals who hired illegals to justice.

I grew up in the Central Valley of California, abundant with peaches, tomatoes, figs, almonds, and grapes where there were also very many packing sheds and canneries. Did the government go after these companies who hired illegals? NO! It's not going to happen. It's easier to blame it all on the illegal aliens. Once or twice, I read about some person running for political office who got in trouble for hiring an illegal as a nanny or a landscaper. They didn't get thrown in the slammer. They just lost the election that year!

The Arizona immigration law will never solve the immigration problem and it's making the ugly head of racism rise up from the ground, again! Next time you go to The Hilton Hotel, eat vine ripened tomatoes, or go to a gourmet restaurant, it was probably an illegal alien who cooked your food, made your bed, or cleaned the floors you are walking on. These are not the jobs that everyone here in the United States has been fighting to obtain. That is another issue no one wants to face!

Yes, the law is fair.

The law in Arizona essentially matches federal law, it just put teeth into it.

Arizona is doing what the Federal government won't do.

It's not that the Feds can't, it's that they won't for political reasons.

Remember that the United States has always and still welcomes legal immigrants.

"I said this on one of the other questions about the same subject. Why doesn't the U.S. make laws to penalize the companies and individuals who hire illegal aliens "
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martha: Read the arizona E-verify legislation passed several years ago. E- verify is also clarified in the new law. This new law makes it easier to catch those people and companies that hire day labor. day labor or workers picked up on the street corner have been unaffected by the e-verify legislation because they ussually do not work for more than one or two days and not at an established industry.
I would guess some of the clauses of 1070 are aimed directly at day laborers. Such as trespassing-they tend to congragate at or near home depot or Lowes stores which have no loitering signs. It makes it a crime to hire someone while parked in traffic- this is aimed at those who hire illegals not the illegal. Many Home centers have called the cops on the day laborers and so they moved to the street just off the property.
NO ONE WITH LEGAL STATUS WILL STAND ON A STREET CORNER ASKING FOR A JOB! KNowing they will be competing with illegals that work harder for less money. If some one does do day labor that is not illegal they would quickly be hired by someone full time. I even know day labour workers that easily start their own business and paid their way through college.

Everyone said mostly everything, but yes the law is 100% fair.

No it is not fair.
Illegal aliens shouldn't be "supported" by anybody except voluntary charities. However, people shouldn't be singled out because of their perceived race. It is a sad day when people are stopped and asked for their papers just because they look foreign. I don't care why or how they got here, they have rights as human beings AND rights as citizens (if they are citizens). BOTH sets of rights are violated the first time an American citizen gets stopped because of this law.

. "It is a sad day when people are stopped and asked for their papers just because they look foreign."
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mdub: READ THE BILL!

PLEASE READ THE BILL!
You CANNOT be stopped by law enforcement because you are Hispanic, Asian, Polynesian, or any other nationality. If you had read the law you would have read multiple times that the law is to be...and these are the exact words used more than once..."enforced without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, disability or national origin."
The bill simply states that if a person is stopped lawfully for any reason by a law enforcement officer for illegal activity or traffic violation, and that person cannot provide valid form of identification or driver's license, the officer then has reasonable suspicion that the person is an alien and can then require that the person's immigration status be determined. If it is determined that the person is here illegally, "the United States immigration and customs enforcement or the United States customs and border protection shall be immediately notified."
Someone tell me what the big deal is with enforcing longstanding FEDERAL LAW?
Please READ THE BILL!
Please also note that I am an immigrant from Samoa who did it the right way...there's no way I could have snuck over the border of the Pacific Ocean anyway...but I support fully SB 1070 & its revision HB 2162.
IT IS FAIR AND IT IS THE LAW!

Fairness of this immigration law is in the eye of the beholder - and if you're going to answer this question accurately, you have to look at the winners and losers.

The law allows for any law enforcement officer to ask, during a lawful stop, if the person is a legal resident of the US - citizen or immigrant. What, you might ask, is a lawful stop? Any stop is lawful so long as the law enforcement officer has reasonable suspicion to believe a law is being broken, and there are plenty of reasons, to includes awareness patrols for seatbelt violations, speeding, missing a turn signal, in the wrong place at the wrong time, etc.

With that in mind, is the law fair?

Honestly, to people in Arizona of Hispanic descent, it might make it a little more difficult, simply because you're more likely to be stopped, especially by a police officer who is passionate about the immigration issue.

To the people it's designed to protect - legal immigrants and citizens of the US, it is fairer than the current law - and gives law enforcement some tools to deal with an issue.

The real problem is that illegal immigrants are migratory, and have the understanding that their life in the US may not be permanent - so it's a little easier for them to pick up and move to a state that doesn't have the same type of law - so to the citizens of surrounding states, this law may become the least fair to them.

Thanks for writing a detailed answer.