natalie jennings

Here’s what was happening in Arizona over the weekend before the SCOTUS decision:  

2012swingstates:

Photo by Shawn Raymundo, The State Press

The Supreme Court is expected to decide on a two-year-old Arizona immigration law this week, an issue that brought more than 1,000 immigration activists and Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio supporters to “Tent City” on Saturday evening. 

The event was staged to protest Arpaio over immigration sweeps, allegations of inmate mistreatment at Tent City, the outdoor jail, and his support of Senate Bill 1070, a law passed by the legislature in 2010 allowing state law enforcement officials to enforce federal immigration policies.

SB 1070 challengers claim federal immigration policies supersede any state laws, and that the law encourages racial profiling by allowing officers to request proof of citizenship if they suspect someone is in the country illegally.

The court’s decision will set a precedent for determining how far states can go in enforcing federal immigration laws. The decision could also impact laws modeled after SB 1070 that were passed in Alabama, Georgia, Utah and South Carolina.

Find the full story and slideshow here.