Alien checking has limits

In the June 26 S-R, you have, for at least the third time in two months, run an Associated Press article in which the Arizona illegal alien law is stated incorrectly and mischaracterized.

The AP article states: “The Arizona law requires (emphasis mine) police officers to check the immigration status of anyone they think is in the country illegally.”

That is incorrect. The police, under the law, can only do that when there is an initial stop of the individual(s) for a criminal act. So the question of requiring the checking of immigration status can only be done once the stop is made primarily for other legal reasons.

Either your editors support this incorrect interpretation, due to their own political views, or they do not know how to edit or do no editing.

The editors of The Spokesman-Review owe it to their readers to provide them the truth with which to make proper judgments and, if necessary, subordinate the editors’ own political viewpoints or opinions.

Jack L. Thompson

Spokane

Editor’s note: The relevant passage in the Arizona law reads as follows: “For any lawful contact made by a law enforcement official or agency of this state or a county, city, town or other political subdivision of this state where reasonable suspicion exists that the person is an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States, a reasonable attempt shall be made, when practicable, to determine the immigration status of the person.”