(Phoenix, AZ) -- Up to 300 supporters of Arizona's new law that deals with illegal immigration gathered at the state capitol in Phoenix Saturday. They came from several states, not just from inside Arizona. They carried signs reading, "No amnesty" and "Secure our borders now." SB 1070 was passed by the legislature three months ago, but a federal judge blocked key portions of the measure, just hours before it became law. A few dozen Hispanic and rights activists staged a counter protest on Saturday. Supporters and opponents of the Arizona law shouted at one another across a police line but there were no arrests.
Tensions over the law have inflamed a decades-long debate over immigration, which is playing into elections in November. Arizona is appealing the ruling of a U.S. District Court judge, but, while the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has agreed to hear the case, it won't do so until November. On Saturday, during an interview on CBS, President Obama warned leaders not to use illegal immigration as a way to gain power and name recognition.
