Judge blocks law against day laborers

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PHOENIX, March 1 (UPI) -- A federal judge has blocked Arizona from enforcing a legal provision aimed at preventing day laborers from looking for jobs outside retail centers.

U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton said the state cannot make it illegal for someone to enter a car stopped in traffic to go to work in another location. Bolton also struck down a provision in Arizona's immigration law that made it illegal for drivers who stop to pick up laborers, Capitol Media Services reported Wednesday.

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund had requested the injunction.

The judge, who had previously blocked other provisions in the state's controversial immigration law, said being a day laborer is not a crime

Gov. Jan Brewer said she was disappointed with Bolton's injunction.

"The provision, which would have prohibited day laborers from blocking traffic when seeking work on public roadways, was put in place as a necessary traffic safety measure," Brewer said Wednesday in a statement. "Judge Bolton's ruling represents an erosion of the state's ability to regulate public safety."