The Arizona immigration law was challenged in a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Justice Department. The Federal government is doing their part to stop the law from taking effect this month. The Arizona immigration lawsuit explains that Arizona's new law is unconstitutional because it overrides federal immigration law. Supporters of the Arizona immigration law believe that a state can’t wait for the federal government to deal with immigration reform.
Source for this article: Federal Arizona immigration lawsuit says state law is illegal by Personal Money Store
Feds - Arizona immigration law is unconstitutional
The Arizona immigration law says that state and local police to question and possibly arrest illegal immigrants during the enforcement of other laws. Immigrants are required to carry their alien registration documents at all times. It was reported by the Washington Post the Arizona immigration lawsuit says the law illegally intrudes on federal prerogatives, invoking as its main argument the legal doctrine of "preemption," which says federal law trumps state statutes. Enforcing immigration laws is a federal responsibility according to the Justice Department.
Immigration law violates civil rights as outlined by Feds
The preemption doctrine is getting used within the Arizona immigration lawsuit because it has been established in Supreme Court as one of their decisions. The Post said some legal experts have said this is a good strategy to persuade a judge to declare the Arizona immigration law unconstitutional. But the Arizona immigration lawsuit asserts the Arizona law would violate some civil rights and lead to police harassment of both U.S. citizens and legal immigrants.
Arizona: the epicenter of the immigration crisis
Arizona passed the immigration law after years of public outcry over social issues credited to illegal immigration, including unemployment, drug trafficking and violent kidnappings. It was reported by the Associated Press that the state is the biggest gateway into the U.S. for illegal immigration and is home to an estimated 460,000 illegal immigrants. Arizona's Republican governor, who is Jan Brewer, has accused the Obama administration of failing to secure the border with Mexico, forcing her state to act on its own on the immigration crisis. Brewer's spokesman told AP the governor would have preferred the federal government focus its resources and attention on the immigration crisis rather than the Arizona immigration lawsuit.
Poll states that border security trumps immigration reform
Despite the outcry for immigration reform legislation, CNN reports that several senior Democratic sources said they see virtually no chance of Congress stepping up to deal with it before November's midterm elections. A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. national poll that was conducted in late May says nearly nine out of 10 Americans want to increase U.S. law enforcement along the border with Mexico. Eight in 10 also supported a program that would allow illegal immigrants already in the United States to stay here and apply for legal residency if they have a job and also if they pay taxes. But 38 percent say that immigration reform should be a higher priority than border security.
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Washington Post
washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/06/AR2010070601928.html?hpid=topnews
Associated Press
google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jup3stJNgod5yvfvOU1IInU0erAwD9GPN88G0
CNN
cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/07/06/arizona.immigration.lawsuit/index.html?npt=NP1
