Judge OKs 'show me your papers' portion of SB 1070

PHOENIX - 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.

"With this provision, Arizona makes a clear statement that it will not tolerate sanctuary city policies, and will now have thousands of additional officers to collaborate with the federal government as state and local law enforcement do what they always have: enforce the law," said Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer in a statement.

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.

"The governor is pleased with the ruling," said Matthew Benson, spokesman for Brewer. "This will clear the way for the heart of SB 1070 to be implemented and enforced in accordance with the law. It's been a long time coming. We've been waiting for more than two years for SB 1070 to finally take effect."

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.