Arizona police officer sues over immigration law - CNN.com: (CNN) -- A police officer in Tucson, Arizona, asks that local law enforcement be exempt from enforcing the state's new immigration law in a lawsuit filed in federal court on Thursday.Officer Martin H. Escobar claims in the suit that the law will 'seriously impede law enforcement investigations and facilitate the successful commission of crimes.'
He also says there are no 'race-neutral criteria or basis to suspect or identify who is lawfully in the United States,' including a person's proximity to the Mexican border, linguistic characteristics and capabilities, skin color, clothing worn or the type of vehicle driven.
The law, signed by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer on April 23, allows police to ask anyone for proof of legal U.S. residency. Brewer and others who support the law have said it does not involve racial profiling or any other illegal acts.
'Racial profiling is illegal,' Brewer said after signing the bill. 'It is illegal in America, and it's certainly illegal in Arizona.'
But Escobar's suit says the law 'is the product of racial bias aimed specifically at Hispanics' and places every Hispanic within the state at risk of losing his or her constitutional rights.
