NDN Blog

Kirk Johnson of the New York Times, has a story up that is so crazy that it is almost unbelievable.

According to the story which can be read here:

A list of 1,300 Utah residents, with the words “illegal immigrants” marked across the top of each page, has sparked panic among some Hispanics in this state.

The list, which contains details and notation about each person — from home address and telephone number to date of birth and, in the case of pregnant women, their due dates — was sent to law enforcement and media outlets on Tuesday. A spokeswoman for Gov. Gary R. Herbert said Wednesday that in investigation was under way to see if state employees might have been involved.

The letter accompanying the list said that it was from “Concerned Citizens of the United States” and urged immediate deportation proceedings against the people listed as well as publication of their names by the news media. The letter said that more lists and names would be forthcoming and added: “We will be listening and watching.”

Thanks to our friend Melinda Warner at Media Matters, we have obtained a copy of the original letter. It can be read here.

Be sure to check back here for further developments.

Sam Stein at the Huffington Post, just wrote a piece on violent crime in Arizona. Using data from America's Voice, Stein shows that crime is down all over Arizona except in Sherriff Joe Arpaio's district. Excerpts are below, full read is here:

The non-profit group America's Voice sent out a chart on Wednesday, documenting the change in violent crime levels in various Arizona police jurisdictions from 2002 through 2009. The numbers tell two interesting stories.

The first is that, by and large, crime is down across the board. In Arizona as a whole, it has dropped 12 percent in the past seven years. But in major Maricopa County cities with their own police forces -- Phoenix, Mesa, Scottsdale and Tempe -- the rate has dropped even faster. (The group measured within Maricopa County because it is the epicenter of the immigration debate. But in Tucson, which is not in the county, there has also been a drop in the crime rate since 2002, according to law enforcement statistics).

And the second:

The more telling number may be the crime statistics for the portion of Maricopa County that is under the purview of controversial Sheriff Joe Arpaio. According to data compiled by America's Voice, crime in that area has actually increased 58 percent since 2002.

Arpaio is considered something of a visionary among conservatives with respect to his approach to immigration. Many of his reforms, indeed, have served as a basis for the law that Gov. Jan Brewer tried to implement statewide. But he has clashed with other sheriffs over his methods, with some complaining that such broad anti-immigration policies put an overwhelming burden on law enforcement officials while producing social friction rather than safety.

We at NDN, do alot of work with Hispanic demographics. Soccer is tremendously popular around the world and especially in Latin America, we have been following both the games and the ratings with great interest.

We are happy to note that according to the Associated Press:

World Cup television viewership rose 41 percent over     four years ago for English-language telecastsin the United States, with Spain's 1-0 overtime victory over the Netherlands setting a record for a men's soccer game.

Sunday's game in Johannesburg, which gave the Spanish their first World Cup title, was seen by 15,545,000 viewers on ABC, according to fast national ratings. The previous high was 14,863,000 viewers for the United States' 2-1 overtime loss to Ghana in the second round on June 26.

An additional 8,821,000 million viewers watched Spanish-language coverage Sunday on Univision, according to Nielsen Media Research, bringing the total to nearly 24.4 million.

ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 averaged a 2.1 rating, 2,288,000 households and 3,261,000 viewers for the 64 World Cup games. The rating was up 31 percent from a 1.6 four years ago, while households increased 32 percent from 1,735,000 and viewers rose from 2,316,000.

The full story can be read here.

The success of the World Cup in the United States is another indicator of the growing power of the Hispanic power in the united states.

For more on the burgeoning growth of the Hispanic population please read Hispanic Rising 2010.

AZ State Sen. Russell Pearce (R) and AZ State Rep. Krysten Sinema, (D) appeared on the Fox News program On the Record with Greta Von Susteren to discuss the DOJ lawsuit against SB1070. Portions of the  interview are below. With some fact checking...

VAN SUSTEREN: What is -- you know, the -- one of the allegations inside the federal complaint -- the civil suit that -- actually, it's a complaint for injunction against your state -- is that -- there's mention about Mexico and the impact it'll have on the U.S. versus Mexico -- you start to shake your head.

PEARCE: Yes. You know, I've read that -- I've read the lawsuit from DOJ, Department of Justice. It's absolutely outrageous. I mean, this is like letting the DUI guy go because it could have an impact on the family, could lose his job, so we don't -- there is no room for humanitarian in the enforcement of the laws in terms of the -- strictly in terms of the law. There's no provision and there's (ph) never been upheld.

This law is fair. In fact, we go farther than the federal laws we talked about before, Greta. We put safeguards in this law that the federal law doesn't have. But what you've got is the Obama administration trying to insert policy into a lawsuit to maintain their non-enforcement mentality and agenda.

According to the White House:

the Border Patrol has doubled in size to approx 20,000 Border Patrol agents on board.

CBP statistics show that illegal immigration into the United States is down with apprehensions between points of entry having dropped 23 percent in FY09. During FY09 the Border Patrol apprehended 556,041 compared with 723,825 during FY08. El Paso Sector saw a 51 percent reduction in apprehensions, the Tucson Sector saw a 24 percent reduction in apprehensions, and the Rio Grande Valley Sector saw a 19 percent reduction in apprehensions. Those statistics reflect a reduction in the number of people attempting to illegally cross our borders.

And as part of his comprehensive plan to secure the Southwest border, President Obama will request $500 million in supplemental funds for enhanced border protection and law enforcement activities.

The president will also deploy up to an additional, requirements-based 1,200 National Guard troops to the border to provide intelligence; surveillance and reconnaissance support; intelligence analysis; immediate support to counternarcotics enforcement; and training capacity until Customs and Border Patrol can recruit and train additional officers and agents to serve on the border. Funds will be utilized to enhance technology at the border, share information and support with State, Local, and Tribal law enforcement, and increase DoJ and DHS presence and law enforcement activities at the border, to include increased agents, investigators, and prosecutors, as part of a multi-layered effort to target illicit networks trafficking in people, drugs, illegal weapons, and money.

VAN SUSTEREN: Is there any -- I mean, a police officer, every time he or she hits the streets at risk -- at risk in terms of getting shot (INAUDIBLE) something horrible by anybody, by someone lawfully here, unlawfully. I mean, there's always a risk. So there's always a risk to being sued. How does this statute create any greater risk for law enforcement?

SINEMA: Well, one of the problem is that individuals can sue a law enforcement agency if they perceive or believe that a law enforcement officer is not enforcing this law to the fullest extent. So they happen to see an officer talking with a person who may be a person of color. That individual can sue the law enforcement agency if the officer doesn't arrest and detain that person.

VAN SUSTEREN: Wait.

SINEMA: Now, on the other hand...

VAN SUSTEREN: I don't want to get too wonkish -- I don't want to get too wonkish with you, but how in the world is there standing, if I'm walking down the street and I see that happen? I mean, does the law specifically give me, as a bystander, that authority?

SINEMA: It does. The law specifically gives citizens -- lawful citizens in the state the right to sue. Now, we all know that a suit wouldn't be valid, so it would likely be dismissed. But it would cost money and take time for that law enforcement agency to deal with that lawsuit.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right. I'm...

SINEMA: On the other hand, if...

VAN SUSTEREN: Go ahead, and then I got to -- then I got to go, but go ahead.

SINEMA: On the other hand, if a law enforcement agent does stop someone and detains them and inquire into their status, that person could sue on a claim of civil rights violation, whether or not it's a valid claim. So this really puts law enforcement in a tough position about being sued.

FACT CHECK:

This is true, under Subsection G of SB1070:

G. A PERSON MAY BRING AN ACTION IN SUPERIOR COURT TO CHALLENGE ANY
   OFFICIAL OR AGENCY OF THIS STATE OR A COUNTY, CITY, TOWN OR OTHER POLITICAL
   SUBDIVISION OF THIS STATE THAT ADOPTS OR IMPLEMENTS A POLICY THAT LIMITS OR
   RESTRICTS THE ENFORCEMENT OF FEDERAL IMMIGRATION LAWS TO LESS THAN THE FULL
   EXTENT PERMITTED BY FEDERAL LAW. IF THERE IS A JUDICIAL FINDING THAT AN
   ENTITY HAS VIOLATED THIS SECTION, THE COURT SHALL ORDER ANY OF THE FOLLOWING:
  
   1.THAT THE PERSON WHO BROUGHT THE ACTION RECOVER COURT COSTS AND ATTORNEY FEES.
  
   2. THAT THE ENTITY PAY A CIVIL PENALTY OF NOT LESS THAN ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS AND NOT MORE  THAN FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR EACH DAY THAT THE POLICY
   HAS REMAINED IN EFFECT AFTER THE FILING OF AN ACTION PURSUANT TO THIS SUBSECTION.

This section of SB1070 is most certainly not apart of the federal law, and creates a dynamic in which local law enforcement officers may feel forced to profile people in order to avoid being sued by any citizen who may suspect that their neighbor is an undocumented immigrant.

A lot of immigration news this week, enjoy:

Washington Post - Headless bodies and other immigration tall tales in Arizona - Dana Milbank

The Arizona governor, seemingly determined to repel every last tourist dollar from her pariah state, has sounded a new alarm about border violence. "Our law enforcement agencies have found bodies in the desert either buried or just lying out there that have been beheaded," she announced on local television.

But those in fear of losing parts north of the neckline can relax. There's not a follicle of evidence to support Brewer's claim.

The Arizona Guardian Web site checked with medical examiners in Arizona's border counties and the coroners said they had never seen an immigration-related beheading. I called and e-mailed Brewer's press office requesting documentation of decapitation; no reply.

Two months ago, the Arizona Republic published an exhaustive report that found that, according to statistics from the FBI and Arizona police agencies, crime in Arizona border towns has been "essentially flat for the past decade." For example, "In 2000, there were 23 rapes, robberies and murders in Nogales, Ariz. Last year, despite nearly a decade of population growth, there were 19 such crimes." The Pima County sheriff reported that "the border has never been more secure."

Arizona Republic - Violence is not up on Arizona border despite Mexican drug war- Dennis Wagner

FBI Uniform Crime Reports and statistics provided by police agencies, in fact, show that the crime rates in Nogales, Douglas, Yuma and other Arizona border towns have remained essentially flat for the past decade, even as drug-related violence has spiraled out of control on the other side of the international line. Statewide, rates of violent crime also are down.

Los Angeles Times - Opinion - What do they really think about immigration? Don't ask

NPR - GOP Faces Internal Divide On Changes To Immigration - Mara Liasson

Some prominent conservatives are speaking out in favor of the kind of comprehensive immigration bill that many Republicans oppose — one that would include border security and then a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

As a leading evangelical conservative, Richard Land's credentials are impeccable. He heads the public policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, and from that influential perch he's been urging his fellow conservatives to rethink their opposition to the immigration overhaul.

Colbert Report - Arturo Rodriguez President of UFW

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Arizona Daily Star - Tucson firms oppose SB 1070 - Kimberly Matas

Nearly 90 Tucson business owners are showing their resistance to SB 1070 - the immigration law set to take effect July 29 - through a new "We Mean Business" campaign.

Participating business owners demonstrate their opposition to the new law with "We Mean Business" signs in the windows of their establishments. Many of the owners agree there is a need for immigration reform; however they do not think the new law is the most effective approach.

NY Daily News - Activists outside MLB offices urge Bud Selig to take stand, move 2011 All-Star Game from Arizona - Michael O'Keeffe

Arizona Daily Star - Fight SB 1070, artists urged - Rhonda Bodfield 

A group of artists, backed by U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, unveiled a new coalition to fight Arizona's new immigration law Thursday, offering an alternative for acts that might otherwise cancel performances in protest.

Grijalva, who called for a limited boycott to pressure the state to reconsider the law, said artists have historically been at the forefront of social change through words and images.

Arizona Republic - Fund tied to SB 1070 nears $500,000 Donations pour in to Brewer's legal-defense repository from across U.S. - Ginger Rough

Residents throughout the United States have contributed nearly half a million dollars to a legal-defense fund set up by Gov. Jan Brewer to help fight lawsuits related to Senate Bill 1070.

As of Thursday, the fund had a nearly $500,000 balance - the result of thousands of contributions from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The bulk of the money, more than $330,000 of it, has rolled in this week, in the days following the federal government's decision to sue Arizona over the new immigration law.

The Daily Show - Arizona 911 -

Republican California gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman has provided evidence that at least one GOP candidate understands the value of the Hispanic vote.

Joe Garofoli of the San Francisco Chronicle, has a story up today highlighting Whitman's Hispanic outreach campaign. He notes:

The billboard, spotted on Highway 99 about 2 miles north of Earlimart in Tulare County, says:

"NO a la Proposicion 187 y NO a la Ley de Arizona -- Meg Whitman."

Thomas Holyoke, an associate professor of political science at California State University-Fresno, told us that according to Wednesday's Field Poll, Whitman's outreach is paying early dividends.

It appears to have helped, Holyoke said, that Whitman said she would have opposed Arizona controversial new immigration law. She said that even as GOP primary rival Steve Poizner was veering hard right on immigration.

Read the full story here, and check out a screen grab of a billboard that Whitman's campaign has put up in California.

There have been a couple of stories highlighting the impact of SB1070 on the Hispanic electorate in Arizona.

Nicolas Riccardi of the Los Angeles Times has a piece up entitled, Arizona's SB1070: Turning Anger on Immigration Law Into Votes, full article can be read here.

Rafael Robles has been eligible to vote ever since he became a U.S. citizen 23 years ago, but nothing has spurred him to register until two young activists visited his house here last week.

......Activists hope that SB 1070, which Republican Gov. Jan Brewer signed into law in April and is scheduled to take effect July 29, will generate enough angry new Latino voters like Robles to reshape this state's hard-line approach to immigration.

The article  also focuses on the similarities between the voter drive initiated by activist groups after Prop 187 was passed in California.

......Many analysts and political scientists predict a similar outcome — eventually — in Arizona. Latinos, 30% of the population, are the fastest-growing and youngest demographic group in the state.

"It's the same energy I saw with 187," said Ben Monterroso, a Service Employees International Union official who spearheaded voter registration in California in 1994 and now oversees the Arizona operation. "People are saying enough is enough."

However Arizona, is not the same as California, in demographics or politics:

And Stan Barnes, a lobbyist and former Republican legislator in the Arizona Senate, said the state's crackdown on illegal immigrants would bring out other new voters — ones who support sealing the border.

"The average guy in Arizona believes that Mexico has become a narco state and that is coming to Arizona," Barnes said. "The fact that the Arizona government has rallied to confront that has energized a whole new electorate."

It's obvious which way the political wind is blowing in the state that has become the favorite illegal entry point from Mexico. Few candidates for statewide office here, even Democrats who opposed SB 1070, are openly sympathetic to illegal immigrants.

Activists are going after registered Hispanic voters, who have not voted in the past, but may vote because of SB1070:

Polls show that SB 1070 is popular in Arizona, except among Latinos; in the most lopsided survey, as much as 81% opposed it. The get-out-the-vote campaign, launched in June by a coalition of labor, community and religious groups, is trying to channel that outrage in November.

The canvassers target Latinos who are already registered but rarely vote. Latino voter turnout hovers about 35%, and about 60% of all Arizona voters went to the polls in the last off-year election. Sixteen percent of registered voters in the state are Latino.

Local news station KBHO CBS has a story up from Sarah Buduson entitled SB1070 Galvanizes Ariz. Latino Voters, full story here:

Arizona’s controversial immigration law has sparked a surge in interest in politics and the voting process among Latino voters, according to Francisco Heredia, the Arizona director of Mi Familia Vota.

"It did help us kind of create the momentum that we need to make sure we get Latinos out and vote this year,”

Heredia said he immediately noticed a difference in political participation after Gov. Jan Brewer signed Senate Bill 1070 into law April 23.

"We've seen a tremendous increase by young people and people that have graduated college already. It kind of strikes an emotional chord with them that it goes too far,” Heredia said.

"We see in our office, we're ramping up our campaign every day, we see young people coming in volunteering, talking to people on the phone, going out canvassing.”

The article also highlights some of the challenges facing such a voter registration drive:

In Arizona, nearly half of eligible Latino voters are not registered to vote, Heredia said.

Heredia blamed Proposition 200, a voter-approved referendum that passed in 2004 and requires voters to present certain forms of identification to register, and apathy.

"I think it's a just a communitywide problem that we haven't emphasized civic participation as much as we should,” he said.

Mi Familia Vota and eight other Latino organizations are working together to ramp up voter participation in Arizona this fall because of SB 1070.

Heredia said it will work.

The Az Daily Sun has a great compilation of Arizona politico's reaction to the federal law suit against SB1070.

The full article can be read here, and the quotes are below

Following are Arizona reactions the Federal Law Suit:

"This lawsuit is a sideshow, distracting us from the real task at hand. A court battle between the federal government and Arizona will not move us closer to securing the border or fixing America's broken immigration system. The legal fights and boycotts are drawing focus and attention away from what has to be a policy driven, substantive debate."

-- U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick D

"It's just so outrageous. it's just an absolute insult to the rule of law."

-- Sen. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, the legislation's chief sponsor

"The American people must wonder whether the Obama administration is really committed to securing the border when it sues a state that is simply trying to protect its people by enforcing immigration law. The Obama administration has not done everything it can do to protect the people of Arizona from the violence and crime illegal immigration brings to our state. Until it does, the federal government should not be suing Arizona on the grounds that immigration enforcement is solely a federal responsibility."

-- Sens. John McCain (R) and Jon Kyl (R)

"Federal lawyers arguing with state lawyers will do nothing to strengthen border security or to fix our broken immigration laws. The supreme irony of the lawsuit is its premise that SB1070 intrudes on the federal government's responsibility to enforce immigration laws. Had the federal government taken that responsibility seriously in the past, neither today's lawsuit nor the state law that prompted it would be necessary."

-- U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D)

"The lawsuit is prudent and necessary. Prudent because you have to defend the constitutional prerogatives of all of us, including the federal government. And necessary because you have to test this law. And even the most ardent supporter, whether it's Jan Brewer or Russell Pearce, I hope after they took an oath of office to defend the constitution, would want to make sure they're defending and implementing the law that passes constitutional muster."

-- U.S. Rep Raul Grijalva (D)

"As a direct result of failed and inconsistent federal enforcement, Arizona is under attack from violent Mexican drug and immigrant smuggling cartels. Now, Arizona is under attack in federal court from President Obama and his Department of Justice."

-- Gov. Jan Brewer (R)

"Rather than challenging the Arizona law, the Obama administration's time would be much better spent working with Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform that would address the nation's underlying immigration problems. Arizona's new law will likely spawn a patchwork of new immigration laws around the country. This isn't an optimal approach. However, the response cannot be a patchwork of federal challenges. It needs to be comprehensive immigration reform.

-- U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake (R)

"What we need are solutions, not lawsuits. Until we get real solutions, more states will turn to band aid remedies to address this very important issue. It is disappointing to see the federal government choosing to intervene in a state statute instead of working with Arizona to create sustainable solutions to the illegal immigration issue that our state and country so desperately need."

-- Attorney General Terry Goddard (D)

"The administration's lawsuit is a cannon shot across the bow of other states that may be tempted to follow Arizona's misguided approach,"

-- Lucas Guttentag, attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union

"Arizona's demagogue leaders have scapegoated immigrants, subordinated Latinos' civil rights, and fallen down a slippery slope. They have received a free pass for too long in part because they have engaged in persecution of a class of people they have tried to dehumanize and deem 'illegal.'"

-- Pablo Alvarado, director of National Day Labor Organizing Network

"The Obama administration has demonstrated that it will, following in the footsteps of its strongest predecessors, take action to preserve our longstanding constitutional plan, which has fostered our development into the great nation that we have long been. Gov. Jan Brewer cannot be permitted to pervert federal policy priorities and obstruct national progress all in the name of political pandering."

-- Thomas Saenz, president and general counsel, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund

"I welcome the filing of the federal lawsuit which is designed to get a quick answer from the court on this issue. No one can deny that Arizona has borne a particular burden caused by the slowness of federal authorities, including Congress, to address this issue. Nevertheless, I believe the quickest way to get the preemption issue resolved is by the federal lawsuit."

-- Pinal County Attorney James Walsh

"We are already seeing and hearing immigrant and Latino families who are afraid to call on law enforcement. This fear frays the relationship between law enforcement and communities and makes their jobs more difficult."

-- Jennifer Allen, executive director, Border Action Network

"The concerted scapegoating of immigrants by some Arizona Republicans has poisoned our political environment, endangered our community, moved our nation further away from needed immigration reform, and above all, it has imperiled the civil rights of all Arizonans. Thankfully, the courts will have the last word."

-- Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox

"The federal government has failed to protect the people of Arizona from illegal aliens, so the state government, quite sensibly, moved to fill the void. This lawsuit should fail because it is based on the absurd assertion that Arizona should be punished for enforcing federal immigration laws which our current president and current attorney general have no interest in enforcing."

-- Former congressman and current U.S. Senate candidate J.D. Hayworth

"Instead of sending a sufficient number of National Guard troops and financial resources to secure the border, President Obama is sending lawyers."

-- Republican gubernatorial hopeful Buz Mills.

The Department of Justice has officially filed suit against Arizona's SB1070 immigration law yesterday. I have compiled much of the reaction to the federal lawsuit here. Peruse at your leisure.

AP - Bob Christie - Feds vs. State Again in Suit Against Arizona Law - Link

The federal lawsuit against Arizona's tough new immigration law focuses heavily on a question that has been in the spotlight repeatedly the past decade and dates to the Founding Fathers: The right of the government to keep states from enacting laws that usurp federal authority.

The lawsuit filed in Phoenix federal court on Tuesday sidestepped concerns about the potential for racial profiling and civil rights violations most often raised by immigration advocates. Experts said those are weaker arguments that don't belong in a legal challenge brought by the White House to get the measure struck down.

USA Today - Editorial - Our View on Immigration: Suing Arizona Hurts Chances For Immigration Overhaul - Link

The irony in the Justice Department's lawsuit to block Arizona's obnoxious new immigration law is that neither the suit nor the law would be necessary if Washington had done its job enforcing federal immigration laws in the first place.

New York Times - Justice Dept. Sues Arizona Over Its Immigration Law - Link

CNN-John King - Immigration Law Heats Up - Link <

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New York Times - Arizona Law Causes Split For Governors Sharing Border - Link

For nearly 30 years, the governors of the states that line both sides of the United States-Mexico border have gathered to celebrate border bonhomie. They issue proclamations and pledges to work together, air grievances and concerns behind closed doors and pose for the cameras in symbolic showings of cooperation.

......Ms. Brewer happens by rotation to be the chairwoman and host of this year’s conference, scheduled for September at a resort in Phoenix. But after all six Mexican border governors wrote to her to say they intended to boycott the gathering to protest the new law, Ms. Brewer sent a letter of her own last week to the governors on both sides of the border saying she was canceling the whole conference.....

.....The Mexican governors had written that they would not step foot in Arizona because they considered the law, which Ms. Brewer signed in April and continues to promote, to be “based on ethnic and cultural prejudice contrary to fundamental rights.”

Washington Post - Chris Cillizza - The Fix - Immigration Emerging as a 2010 Issue - Link

Democratic strategists see the Arizona law as a key moment in the ongoing battle to win the loyalty of Hispanic voters. They believe that it will have a similar chilling effect for Republicans with Latinos as the passage of California's Proposition 187 did in the 1990s.

Republicans, on the other hand, believe that Democrats are badly out of step with the American people on the immigration issue. They cite the Obama administration's aggressive approach to fighting the Arizona law is yet more evidence of that out-of-touchness.

In that vein, nearly two dozen House Republicans sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder on Tuesday describing the legal challenge as the "height of irresponsibility and arrogance."

Arizona Republic - EJ Montini - Federal Lawsuit Against SB1070 Will Resolve Nothing - Link

So far, the only people benefitting from the hoopla over the law are the political candidates who are stumbling over themselves in order to look tough on immigration and border security. Already members of Arizona's delegation are rushing out statements, most of which condemn the very institution -- Congress -- where they work. And we're supposed to reelect them?

Many of these people have been in office for some time, decades even, and have done… nothing.

So, what we have are people who have done nothing arguing over lawsuits that do nothing concerning a law that, so far, has done… nothing.

Welcome to America.

KGUN 9 News - David Rush - Gov. Brewer Reacts to Federal Lawsuit Over SB1070 - Link

Governor Jan Brewer called the federal government's lawsuit over Arizona's new immigration law, "wrong." In a statement released today, the Governor said, "it is wrong that our own federal government is suing the people of Arizona for helping to enforce federal immigration law."

Brewer called Arizona's immigration law "reasonable" and "constitutional" and mirrors the same federal law that has been on the books for decades. "Arizona's law is designed to complement, not supplant, enforcement of federal immigration laws," said Brewer.

The Governor did applaud the Obama administration for not pursuing claims SB1070 will result in racial profiling. "I am pleased that President Obama and the Department of Justice did not pursue the baseless claims of illegal racial profiling in the lawsuit," Brewer said.

Happy Fourth of July weekend everyone, there have been a lot of really interesting stories this week. Please check them out below.

LA Times - Peter Nicholas and Christi Parson have a story up on the President's speech. Great quote from NDN President Simon Rosenberg below. LINK

"This is the beginning of a new phase in this debate," said Simon Rosenberg, president of the New Democratic Network, a think tank, who was in the American University audience. "The Republican Party's position now is untenable and unsustainable."

Washington Post - Michael W. Savage, Obama Presses 11 Republican Senators to Revive Support for Immigration Reform. Link

The Arizona Republic - Congressman Harry Mitchell (D-5),  Suing Arizona Wont Fix Immigration. Link

I'm frustrated at how partisan gridlock continues to delay action on this critical issue. Illegal immigration didn't occur overnight, and the situation cannot wait simply because folks in Washington choose to play politics. Illegal immigration affects our state more than any other - more than half the illegal U.S.-Mexican border crossings happen in Arizona.

New York Times - Peter Baker, Obama Urges Fix to Broken Immigration System. Link

The Arizona Republic - Betty Beard, Arizona Business Call For Immigration Reform. Link

Nineteen business groups from across the state, tired of the controversy surrounding Arizona's new immigration law, have stepped forward to urge the federal government to take action.

Although calls for federal immigration reform are not new, several participants say a statement being released today is a significant new move because the business community is collectively taking a stand. Businesses - and indirectly their employees - say they have been bearing the brunt of nationwide boycotts by cities, counties, groups and performers as a result of Senate Bill 1070.

New York Times - Editorial, Mr. Obama's Immigration Promise. Link

The Wall Street Journal - Laura Meckler, Obama Makes Pitch for Immigration Overhaul. Link

The Arizona Republic - Craig Harris, Joe Arpaio's Funds for Work Raids to Be Pulled by Romely. Link

Interim Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley said he will stop sharing state funds beginning today with Sheriff Joe Arpaio to enforce Arizona's employer-sanctions law.

The funds should be used to go after employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants, Romley said, rather than what Arpaio has largely used them for: worksite raids on the illegal workers.

Romley's office controls the state funding. Arpaio's office expected $700,000 this fiscal year.

The Associated Press - Darlene Superville, Obama Says Politics to Blame for Immigration Delay. Link

KVOA Tucson - Naomi Pescovitz, SB1070 Training Tapes Released to Law Enforcement. Link

The Arizona Republic - Dan Nowiki and Daniel Gonzales, Arizona Immigration Law Exodus Pushing Problem to Other States. Link

Arizona's tough new immigration law is driving undocumented families out. A few of the immigrants are returning to Mexico, but many simply are pulling up stakes and relocating to other parts of the United States.

The Arizona Republic - Daniel Gonzales, Arizona's Illegal Immigrants Departure Affecting Business. Link