Phoenix, Jul 28 (EFE).- A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the most contentious elements of an Arizona immigration law set to take effect this week must be put on hold pending final disposition of court challenges to the measure.
While the law as a whole can come into force Thursday as scheduled, the part requiring state and local police to verify the immigration status of people they encounter in the course of normal law-enforcement duties is suspended for now, U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton said.
Her decision also affects a provision requiring immigrants to carry their documents with that at all times, and another making it an offense for undocumented immigrants to congregate in public places to seek work.
The ruling represents a victory for opponents of SB1070, which faces seven separate suits in federal court, including one filed by the U.S. Justice Department.
"There is a substantial likelihood that officers will wrongfully arrest legal resident aliens under the new (law)," Bolton said in her decision.
"By enforcing this statute, Arizona would impose a 'distinct, unusual and extraordinary' burden on legal resident aliens that only the federal government has the authority to impose," the judge said.
Arizona's Republican governor, Jan Brewer, signed SB1070 into law in April.
Critics of the measure say it will prompt police to target Hispanics, who make up most of Arizona's estimated 460,000 undocumented immigrants.
The United States is thought to have some 12 million undocumented migrants in all and nationwide polls show a majority of Americans support the Arizona law.
President Barack Obama, who campaigned on a promise of comprehensive immigration reform, described SB1070 as "misdirected," while the Justice Department's suit contends the law infringes on the federal government's exclusive jurisdiction over immigration matters.
The other legal challenges to the Arizona law focus on issues of civil rights and equal protection.
