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Did Arizona Lie to the Supreme Court?

May 06, 2012 (1 min read)

"A week after Supreme Court arguments over Arizona's illegal-immigration law, the arrest, detention and subsequent release of an undocumented woman following a traffic stop added a real-world example to the courtroom debate about how the statute could play out.  Araceli Mercado Sanchez, who is married to an American soldier and is in the process of legalizing her U.S. residency, was pulled over Tuesday for making an illegal turn, and sent to immigration authorities when she couldn't produce a driver's license or Social Security card requested by a sheriff's deputy. Federal authorities released her late Thursday after she had spent two nights in detention. ... 'This case shows how hard it is for state law-enforcement officials to determine someone's immigration status,' said Margaret Stock, an immigration attorney and retired Army officer who is an expert on immigration law and the military.  'Arizona's lawyer, Paul Clement, told the Supreme Court that it could be done in 10 or 11 minutes.  [Page 10 of Sup. Ct. Transcript.]  In this case, it took three days for federal authorities to figure it out.' " - Miriam Jordan, Wall Street Journal, May 4, 2012.