ROB HALFORD Says New Immigration Law In Arizona Is 'Racist'

JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford — who is a part-time Phoenix resident — spoke to CNN about a new immigration law in Arizona which requires police to determine if people are in the country illegally, previously a function carried out by U.S. federal immigration police and some local forces.

According to Reuters, critics of the law argue it is unconstitutional and a mandate for racial profiling, and fear it will destroy trust between Hispanic communities and law enforcement in Arizona.

Supporters say the law is needed to curb crime in the state, home to 460,000 illegal immigrants and a major corridor for drug and migrant smugglers from Mexico.

"It's a really, really difficult time for a lot of people," said Halford.

"We [the members of JUDAS PRIEST] try and stay out of politics — that's not our job — but I think for something as volatile as this...

"There's Latino metalheads, and there's all kinds of metalheads...

"From my heart, I think it's a racist law, I really do. I mean, I've thought about it and I've looked at everybody's point of view, and it's a terrible thing that's going on there, so I'm a little bit upset about the whole thing. I hope it gets resolved."

He added, "All I wanna do is rock and roll. I think that's what rock and roll's main job is.

"There's enough trouble going on in the world and we give people a moment to forget about all that and just kind of escape it and so forth. But I think it's valuable to get a person's point of view, whether it's right or wrong. That's America."

Video footage of Rob Halford talking to CNN about the new immigration law in Arizona can be viewed below.