PHOENIX (AP/CBS5) -
A federal judge has ruled that Arizona authorities can enforce the most contentious section of the state's immigration law, which critics have dubbed the "show me your papers" provision.
The ruling Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton clears the way for police to carry out the 2010 law's requirement that officers, while enforcing other laws, question the immigration status of those they suspect are in the country illegally. [Click here to read the full decision (PDF)]
The requirement has been at the center of a two-year legal battle that culminated in a U.S. Supreme Court decision in June upholding the requirement.
Opponents then asked Bolton to block the requirement and argued it would lead to racial profiling of Latinos.
Less controversial sections of the law have been in effect since late July 2010.
The governor's office says the law is expected to go into effect shortly.
Alessandra Soler, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, which sought to block the provision, issued the following statement in the wake of the ruling:
"The ACLU of Arizona will act on the court's message and document racial profiling abuses throughout the state as the first step to guaranteeing equal treatment under the law. Latino members of our community should not be subjected to unlawful stops based on their race or perceived immigration status. Once this 'show me your papers' provision goes into effect, racial profiling will become rampant statewide, as it has been in Maricopa County, and we intend to ramp up our reporting and litigation efforts to seek justice on behalf of the victims of police abuse."
Copyright 2012 CBS 5 (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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