Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton and city council members face a difficult decision Wednesday: Whether to stand up for a quarter million undocumented immigrants living in the valley or follow state law SB 1070.
Currently, Arizona is the ninth most populated state with undocumented immigrants. According to the Migration Policy Institute, Phoenix ranked behind California and Texas before SB 1070 passed in 2010.
That law, allowing law enforcement to ask for documents and call immigration authorities, stands between the Phoenix City Council and its decision on whether to enforce or ignore the state law.
Even though a higher court effectively gutted SB 1070, the City Attorney said surviving sections make it, “permissibly illegal,” for Phoenix to adopt a sanctuary status.
Immigrant rights groups are asking Stanton and city council members to vote their conscience and ignore what they call a “racist law.”
The council meets Wednesday in downtown Phoenix at 2:30pm.
