In April 2010, Arizona enacted the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act, better known as Senate Bill 1070. The state law required police officers to inquire about the legal status of anyone they thought might be in the country illegally. 

But what would make an officer think someone was in the country illegally?

To its opponents, it codified and provided legal cover for racial profiling, something that continues to be an issue. 

To its supporters, SB1070 tackled the issue of illegal immigration in a way that Washington would not. The law was a state-level response to a national issue that had stalled in Congress. It sought to break the federal log jam and show the nation that if Congress wouldn't tackle immigration reform, Arizona would. 

Ten years later, the law played a role in reducing the size of the state’s undocumented population and unquestionably reshaped Arizona politics. It also may have influenced the political rise of President Donald Trump. 

In this season of Rediscovering, we'll retrace the history of SB1070: how it happened, who advocated for it and why it still matters a decade later. 

We’ll speak to former Governor Jan Brewer, SB1070 architect Russell Pearce, Arizona’s senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema, and young Latino and immigrant activists whose lives were forever shaped by the legislation.

This is Rediscovering: SB1070 for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. All five episodes drop on Wednesday, July 15. Don't miss a single one. Subscribe to our series on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher Radio, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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