Utah Sued Over Anti-immigrant Law

SALT LAKE CITY - The American Civil Liberties Union and other groups sued to block enforcement of a Utah immigration law.

The law, which is scheduled to take effect May 10, allows police to check the immigration status of people charged with misdemeanors.

The ACLU, the National Immigration Law Center and Archie Archuletta of the Utah Coalition of La Raza filed the civil rights lawsuit in federal court, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.

"You could not script a better fear-producing scenario than this," Archuletta said. "And because of this people have expressed these fears -- what will happen to us? And the past pictures paint some pretty ugly pictures."

HB497 is one of a number of state laws based on controversial Arizona legislation. The law includes a provision allowing people who are not carrying ID to give information to police that can be checked, but critics like Cecelia Wang of the ACLU immigration rights project say Utah residents will start having to make sure they have papers on their person.

"As Americans, we cherish our freedom to go about our business without having to show our papers," Wang said.