A new law in Arizona that requires law enforcement officers to determine whether people are in the U.S. illegally is "a step in the wrong direction" and shows the need for comprehensive immigration reform, according to the leader of a southeastern Minnesota organization that works with immigrants and refugees. "It's definitely a concern, and I hope it doesn't signal a trend," said Bob Tereba, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Winona, which offers services in Austin and Rochester.
Tereba said he understands how frustrated people in Arizona are about illegal immigration, especially because federal immigration reform has taken so long.
However, he said, the new law could lead to civil liberties violations and complicate law enforcement because people will be less forthcoming with police.
"It's going to create an atmosphere of fear in the community," he said.
An approach by a single state isn't going to solve the problems related to illegal immigration, Tereba said. He said he'd like to see comprehensive reform that offers illegal immigrants a path to legalization in which they come forward, pay a fine and application fee, go through background checks, and demonstrate they have paid taxes and are learning English.
Having such a path to legalization is important, he said, because it's unrealistic to ignore the reality that the U.S. economy depends on the work of undocumented workers in many areas.
"We're out of synch — the economic reality is that people have status, but they don't have legal status," he said. "To me that's the basic disconnect."
