BlogLine

Federal Judge Gives Green Light to “Show Me Your Papers”

12/18/12

By: Kelly Morrison
Last week, federal Judge Thomas Thrash signed an order authorizing the immediate enforcement of “show me your papers”— also known as Section 8 of Georgia’s controversial immigration law.  Section 8 allows law enforcement officials to verify the immigration status of criminal suspects who fail to produce proper identification.
The ruling was a result of the August decision by an Eleventh Circuit panel, which reversed Judge Thrash’s earlier decision, which placed a preliminary injunction on the practice.
Law enforcement officials have reacted cautiously to the ruling, stating that any changes in policy likely will wait until guidance is issued from the Attorney General’s office.
It is important to note that this decision does not resolve the lawsuit challenging several sections of the law, which is expected to last several more years.