A tough new bill imposes some of the most stringent immigration laws in the country and is whipping up a storm of controversy. The bill requires police to stop anyone they suspect is in the United States illegally.
Is this a moral law? No argues John Wallis, Council Member of the Faith-Based Neighborhood Partnership. He is especially concerned with the break up of families who have been living in the States for their entire lives as well as racial profiling. He argues churches harbor and transport vulnerable people some of whom are undocumented people. "This law will force us to disobey the Gospel and I'm telling you, we are not going to comply."
Is this tough new bill constitutional? Law Professor, Jonathan Turley of George Washington University states there is little doubt that a state can have concurrent enforcement of federal laws. However, this bill raises a number of troubling constitutional questions, especially the reasonable suspicion standard coming from Terry vs. Ohio. This standard has never been applied in the context of determining someone's status as a citizen. "How on earth do you have reasonable suspicion that somebody is illegal unless you are doing racial profiling...What you are left with would be an arbitrary and capricious system of papers check that we have seen historically in past countries."
