WELCOME TO ARIZONA

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane has compared a tough new immigration law in Arizona to those of Nazi Germany.

MacFarlane, whose irreverent animated TV comedies have themselves provoked controversy, said the Arizona law was more shocking than anything he had done on television.

"It's too much. It's kind of a slap in the face, it's not the way to handle it...Nobody but the Nazis ever asked anybody for their papers," MacFarlane told Reuters Television in an interview on Thursday.

"Walking down the street, a cop can come up to you and say 'May I see your papers?' -- I think they should be required to ask that question in German if the law sticks around," he added.

Arizona's law, signed last week, allows police to stop people and ask for proof they are in the United States legally if there is any "reasonable suspicion" to the contrary. Opponents see it as a recipe for racism.

MacFarlane, who is also behind the TV series "American Dad!" and "The Cleveland Show," was the latest celebrity to speak out against the measure.

Colombian singer Shakira met with the mayor of Phoenix on Thursday to help campaign against the law, which she called "unjust and inhuman."

Latin singer Ricky Martin on Thursday told the audience at the Billboard Latin Music Awards in Puerto Rico to "put a stop to discrimination. Put a stop to hate. Put a stop to racism...Long live love, long live peace."