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While most of the country is focused on the impact of Arizona’s new immigration law to immigrant and minority communities, a research association is now also raising alarm bells about the impact the law could have on academic research. 

The American Educational Research Association (AERA) passed a resolution opposing the recent Arizona immigration law during their conference over the weekend.  Members expressed concern that the new law would make it difficult for many academic professionals to travel in the state and would make research studies on immigrant and Latino communities difficult. 

As Kris Gutiérez, the president-elect of the organization put it, “doing this work requires the trust and respect of these communities.  Researchers are also held suspect in these communities.  You layer onto it the fear of being profiled and deported.”

Gutiérez also noted that many of the researchers were frustrated that the legislative efforts to stop illegal immigration in Arizona and elsewhere seem to ignore the findings of many of their studies.

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Read AERA’s resolution here