New AZ law striking fear among immigrants

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New AZ law striking fear among immigrants

November 5, 2004 03:49:00 pm

[JURIST] Attendance at a number of Arizona public schools has dropped dramatically in the past few days in what Hispanic community leaders are calling a parental response to Proposition 200 [PDF], approved by state voters on Tuesday. The new law requires a person to show proof of citizenship when seeking publicly funded benefits. It also mandates that government employees report suspected illegal immigrants who seek benefits. Many are worried that the new law will have the same effect as California's similar Proposition 187 which, after its passing in 1994, resulted in undocumented immigrants withholding their children from schools and doctor visits. That law was later held unconstitutional by a federal judge. The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund is expected to seek a court injunction against Proposition 200 after the 30-day certification period passes. AP has more.

Georgia became first US state to ban lynching

On December 20, 1893, Georgia became the first state in the Union to pass a law against lynching, making the act punishable by four years in prison. The statute was not particularly effective—read the text of the 1899 pamphlet Lynch Law in Georgia by anti-lynching activist Ida Wells-Barnett.

UN Drug Trafficking Convention signed

On December 20, 1988, the United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances was signed in Vienna, Austria. The treaty provides mechanisms for international coordination in preventing the manufacture and distribution of drugs worldwide. Over 170 countries have signed the treaty to date.