People from whom one would expect intellectual honesty continue to misrepresent SB 1070. Yet another example surfaced in this morning's Arizona Republic in a letter to the editor from Clara M. Lovett, president emerita of Northern Arizona University. She writes:
A statute that allows police to stop people on the basis of "reasonable suspicion" that they are undocumented aliens turns on its head one of the most sacred principles of American law. Anyone stopped and questioned by police is presumed guilty until proved innocent.
This is an egregious misrepresentation. The statute does not allow police to stop people on the basis of reasonable suspicion that they are illegal aliens. The 1070 statute as amended by HB 2162 disallows this. The following are the conditions under which an immigration inquiry may proceed. Each must be satisfied. See here for links and quotations.
1. There must be a lawful stop, detention, or arrest.
2. The stop, detention, or arrest must be made in the enforcement of a law other than 1070.
3. There must be reasonable suspicion that the person is an illegal alien.
4. The immigration inquiry must be practicable.
5. The immigration inquiry must not hinder or obstruct an investigation.
Lovett ignores (1), (2), (4), and (5). Lovett joints Eric Holder, Janet Napolitano, and the others who presume to criticize what they haven't read. And this woman is a former NAU president?
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