Mexico Hops on Suit Over Georgia Immigration Law

Mexico and 10 other countries have filed amicus briefs in a lawsuit that asks a judge to declare Georgia's new immigration law unconstitutional and block it from being enforced. The lawsuit was filed two weeks ago by civil liberties groups, who are asking US District Judge Thomas Thrash to prevent the law from taking effect until the lawsuit has been resolved.

Besides Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Peru filed amicus briefs yesterday supporting the plaintiffs. The statute authorizes law enforcement to check the immigration status of a suspect who cannot provide accepted identification and to detain and hand over to federal authorities anyone found to be in the country illegally. (More Mexico stories.)