Panic erupts in wake of new anti-immigrant law

Arizona community activists and religious leaders are trying to mitigate fears over a new law that would require state employees to denounce undocumented immigrants. "There's panic in the community," said Pastor Magdalena Schwartz from the Disciples of the Kingdom Free United Methodist Church. Authorities should realise that the confusion is endangering public safety, said Schwartz, because parents are afraid to take their children to the doctor even when this law shouldn't affect them. "This is particularly scary now that we're in the middle of influenza season," she added. Arizona is considered a testing ground for immigration laws for the rest of the nation. Over the past five years, Republicans have enacted legislation that ranges from banning scholarships for undocumented students to denying bail to undocumented people charged with a crime.