The law requires police to detain people reasonably suspected to be in the country without authorization “when practicable,” The New York Times reported April 23. The law, which takes effect in August, requires immigrants in Arizona to carry their immigration papers, and it would be a misdemeanor not to do so. The law also allows people to sue the government if it believes the law is not being enforced.

The signing of the bill into law caused protests and drew harsh criticism from President Obama. While speaking at a naturalization ceremony for active-duty service members, Obama said the Arizona immigration law would “undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans,” according to the article.

At the ceremony, Obama called for federal overhaul of immigration laws. Congressional leaders said they were preparing to take up this overhaul soon to avoid “irresponsibility by others,” The New York Times reported.

Mexico’s Foreign Ministry announced it was concerned for the rights of their citizens, and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund foresaw “pervasive fear, community distrust, increased crime and costly litigation, with nationwide costs,” The New York Times reported. Opponents to the law are worried about discrimination toward the Hispanic race in general, regardless of its legality.

Arizona governor Jan Brewer, who signed the bill into law, said the law “represents another tool for our state to use as we work to solve a crisis we did not create.” Brewer said racial profiling would not be tolerated and she would work to ensure that the police have the proper training to carry out the law, The New York Times reported.

The Daily Orange asks the experts: “How will Arizona’s new law on immigration affect the relations between the United States and Mexico?”

Meet the expert: Amy Lutz, assistant professor of sociology at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs

“One issue, which is less of an issue in Arizona but is still the case in states such as in Texas and California, is that a lot of people who live on the border regions of Mexico go shopping in the United States. If people are boycotting Arizona, that should have a substantial impact. There are a lot of people who go across the border legally, and one of the main things they do is go shopping. It’s a pretty big business actually.”

Meet the expert: Kristi Andersen, professor of political science at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs

“I think it has already had a negative effect in the sense that Mexico is boycotting Arizona. They are not traveling there. I think the law makes the relationship between Arizona and Mexico that much more different.”

Meet the expert: Cecilia Green, associate professor of sociology at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs

“The government of Mexico has already raised great objections to the bill, partly because they are worried about the impact on their nationalism. I think it’s not just a question of relations between the two countries; it is a question of human rights for all of us. For me, when I first read about the law, I thought it was reminiscent of the system of apartheid, where at all times black South Africans were required to carry their passports and their documents. Certainly something is reminiscent of that. I think it is going to be successfully challenged because it really does violate human rights.”