WASHINGTON (JTA) -- The Anti-Defamation League joined a lawsuit to overturn Arizona's restrictive immigration law. The federal lawsuit, initiated by Friendly House, a Phoenix social services organization, the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups, seeks to overturn a law passed earlier this year that grants police wide latitude to stop individuals and check their immigration status.
"Rather than making Arizona more secure, we believe this law will have the opposite effect," Miriam Weisman, ADL Arizona's regional chair, and Bill Straus, ADL Arizona's regional director, said in a statement Tuesday. "Fear of heightened law enforcement scrutiny about immigration status will deter victims and witnesses from coming forward and cooperating with the police, making it significantly more difficult for police to do their jobs."
