Five Arizona immigrants on Thursday painted a picture of fear and hopelessness over the recently approved Arizona immigration law, saying it will spur on a culture of fear and violence in the state. The immigrants -- all females, some as young as 10-years-old -- called on President Obama to fight against the law passed by the Arizona legislature and signed by Arizona Gov. Janice Brewer back in April. Their often emotional testimony came at an ad hoc congressional hearing organized by Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz. The law gives police the power to detain anyone they suspect of being in the country illegally if they fail to produce immigration documents. Barring legal challenges, it goes into effect July 29. Silvia Rodriguez, a 23-year-old graduate of Arizona State University who has been in the state illegally since she was 2-years-old, said she has lived under a blanket of fear her entire life. 'I've never been called to or referred to as American,' Rodriguez said. 'The only time I felt proud was when President Obama won his presidency.' Catherine Figueroa, a 10-year-old girl whose parents were arrested and detained for three months, said through tears that she is afraid of law enforcement agents who might succeed in getting her and her family deported. She called on President Obama to help repeal the Arizona law. 'I want to tell President Obama to stop putting parents in jail,' Figueroa said. 'All they want is a better life for their kids.' The others who testified added that the law will tarnish the already broken relationship between immigrants and law enforcement officers in the state, saying it will overcrowd jails and take time away from police officers who should be focusing on real criminals. 'We are living in a dangerous time in Arizona,' said Sylvia Herrera, a researcher in the state who has collected videos and written testimony of abuses against immigrants there. 'If President Obama does not intervene on SB1070, the whole country will be overcome with a climate of change that is going to be pure hate.' Herrera said that although the law has not yet taken effect, Arizonians are already attempting to enforce it, asking people who either do not speak English or look like they are of Hispanic origin to produce documentation that proves they are citizens. Alma Mendoza, a former victim of domestic violence, said the new law will make it impossible for female immigrants to seek help in abuse situations for fear of deportation and separation from their children. 'This is a situation where everyone suffers, women and children alike,' Mendoza said through tears. 'As soon as this law is enforced, people will lose all confidence and trust in the police.' Celia Alejandra Alvarez Herrera -- who suffered physical abuse by law enforcement agents when she was arrested in 2009 during a raid at her workplace -- said the immigration law is denigrating America's image as a just nation, especially in the eyes of children. 'They say that the children are the future . . . what is it that we are teaching them?' Alvarez Herrera said through a translator. Grijalva said he called the hearing in order to bring a sense of urgency to his colleagues about the law and the need to repeal it. He called on the Obama administration to 'take a proactive role to enter [the bill] into the fray.' Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee was a co-sponsor of the hearing but failed to show up Thursday afternoon. 