Sharpton To Lead Protest Against Arizona's Immigration Law

(Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

Arizona's new controversial immigration bill has ignited flames of controversy across the nation. Immigrants and lawmakers alike are criticizing the law; Gothamist reported that the Reverend Al Sharpton is planning a protest:

"We will go to Arizona when this bill goes into effect and walk the streets with people who refuse to give identification and force arrest."

In response to Arizona Governor Jan Brewer’s signing of the country’s most extreme anti-immigrant legislation, protests and rallies around the country are planned for May 1.

SB 1070 has awakened a youth protest movement in Arizona: Jessica Mejia, who was born and raised in Tucson and attends the University of Arizona, told CNN that she doesn't leave the house without three pieces of identification:

"Even if you're legal, you're in fear that maybe your driver's license isn't going to be enough or if you're walking down the street and the police stop you," said Mejia, 21. "It's a constant fear we're living in and even legal citizens are afraid to go out."

On April 22, more than 500 Arizona students walked out of a local high school in protest of the impending bill.

Two days days after SB 1070 was signed, a Phoenix man was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and claims he was a victim of racial-profiling.

Even Meghan McCain, who was born and raised in Arizona, doesn't support the bill. Her recent column for The Daily Beast was prefaced with this statement:

Let me say upfront that I do not support the bill that was signed by Governor Jan Brewer. I believe it gives the state police a license to discriminate, and also, in many ways, violates the civil rights of Arizona residents. Simply put, I think it is a bad law that is missing the bigger picture of what is really going on with illegal immigration.

The concept that a law-enforcement official can stop an individual when “reasonable suspicion exists that a person is an alien, who is unlawfully present in the United States” is essentially a license to pull someone over for being Hispanic.

If enacted, the law (which President Obama has called "misguided") will make being an undocumented immigrant in Arizona a state crime and police officers will be allowed to ask anyone suspected of being an illegal immigrant for documentation.

According to the New York Times, there is a growing split in Arizona over immigration. Supporters of SB 1070 say the continued failure of the federal government to secure Arizona’s borders required this drastic measure. Back in March, Arizona rancher Robert Krentz was shot and killed by someone who was believed to be an illegal immigrant.

Investigators said Krentz apparently came upon one person when he was shot. Krentz was heard telling his brother "illegal alien" on the radio before his death, and the area of the killing is a known smuggling corridor, according to authorities. The murder stirred unease in Arizona about illegal immigration after law enforcement officials tracked footprints from the crime scene back to the border.

A Phoenix New Times blog claims that "by the time this battle is over, Arizona will be further impoverished and reviled as a backwater, the laughing stock of America, a hick land of anti-Mexican rednecks that's worthy of its reputation for ugliness and tyranny. In other words, the same as now, just a little lighter in the pocket."

The jokes have already begun: Saturday Night Live took aim at the state's intolerance in a recent Weekend Update segment. It begins around 27:24 minutes into the show.

Mayor Bloomberg has weighed in about a potential boycott of Arizona:

"[M]any people from around the world may think twice before visiting Arizona and subjecting themselves to potential run-ins with the police."

The bill is set to take effect in early fall, if it withstands legal challenges. "It will probably be in July or August," said Phoenix lawyer Daniel Ortega to Time Magazine, "That's the first thing I am telling people. There's panic in the community."

If you are interested in participating in a rally or protest, there are many ways to get involved. Visit
The Campaign to Reform Immigration FOR America for more information.

Tr3s Comunidad, what do you think about SB 1070? Tell us in the comments or @MTV3!

Tags arizona, Immigration, Meghan McCain, protest, Reverend Al Sharpton, rights, SB 1070