Arizona last week passed a law authorizing local police to check the immigration status of anyone they reasonably suspect of being in the United States illegally. The law has generated sharp debate between advocates who say it is needed to combat illegal immigration and opponents who say it is an infringement on civil liberties and an invitation to racial/ethnic profiling of Hispanics by the police. In addition, some say the law will create tensions between police and Hispanics that will hinder general law enforcement.
A set of recent findings from the Pew Research Center and Pew Hispanic Center provide background on a range of issues raised by the new Arizona law. The findings are drawn mainly from nationwide surveys conducted in 2008 and 2009.
Read the full research Hispanics and Arizona's New Immigration Law on the Pew Research Center's Web site.