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Arizona immigration bill criticized by Obama
President Obama has criticized the controversial Arizona immigration bill, which may become a law today.
During a naturalization ceremony for 24 active duty service members, Obama called the bill “misguided” and said that it “threatened to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans, as well as the trust between police and their communities that is so crucial to keeping us safe,” according to CBS News.
The bill would make Arizona the first state to criminalize illegal immigrants and would also require police to ask questions if they think a person is in the state illegally.
Despite the criticism, Obama took some responsibility by saying that the law resulted from the lack of immigration reform on the national level. “Our failure to act responsibly at the federal level will only open the door to irresponsibility by others,” he said, according to the news source.
Arizona’s governor, Jan Brewer, may sign the bill into law today. The Mexican Senate unanimously passed a resolution that urges Brewer to veto the bill because, they say, it will lead to the harassment of Hispanics.
The Arizona law won’t affect people who participate in the EB-5 visa program. The program allows foreigners to become eligible for U.S. green cards if they invest $1 million into an American business and that investment leads to the creation of 10 jobs.