SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) – Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down key parts of Arizona's immigration law.
But the court said the most controversial portion can remain.
It allows police to check the immigration status of those arrested or stopped.
While this ruling will have no immediate effect in Utah, it did cause some strong reaction.
Utah's Attorney General, Mark Shurtleff, summed it up perfectly when he said,
"It's very interesting that we have both sides in this Supreme Court case declaring victory."
Those who like tough laws like the fact that Arizona cops can check the immigration status of those they stop.
And those who don't like Arizona's law are happy the court ruled against several other key parts.
Of the provisions that were struck down, Marina Lowe, an ACLU attorney, said,
"They harm business, undermine police work and threaten our most basic American values."
But what Utah's Latino community doesn't like is that many will still live in fear.
Mark Alvarez, another attorney, said,
"People who are driving are going to feel some anxiety, feel some fears, particularly driving to Arizona."
And it wasn't long before legal talk became political.
Activist Tony Yapias said - come November - many Latinos will remember and vote Democratic,
"Certainly, they're not going to vote for Governor Romney or the Republican Party."
And while the Supreme Court didn't rule on one of the most controversial immigration issues, Utahns know it is still out there.
As Rev. Steve Klemz of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church put it,
"What is still left open is racial profiling, which sows seeds of fear within the community."
Utah has its own immigration law which is still tied up in the courts.
Mark Shurtleff says Monday’s ruling could lead to some of Utah's law being upheld and some rejected.
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