Feds to challenge Arizona immigration law

[Jagermeister]

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: U.S. senators, representative from Arizona blast plan to sue
Justice Department to file suit against Arizona immigration law
Law requires police to question people suspected of being in U.S. illegally
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer says federal government has failed to secure the border

RELATED TOPICS
Arizona Immigration
Barack Obama
Jan Brewer
Washington (CNN) -- The Justice Department is expected to file a legal challenge Tuesday against Arizona's controversial immigration law, according to an administration official.

The law, which is scheduled to take effect at the end of July, requires immigrants to carry their alien registration documents at all times and requires police to question people if there's reason to suspect they're in the United States illegally. It also targets businesses that hire illegal immigrant laborers or knowingly transport them.

President Barack Obama said in a speech on July 1 that the measure has "fanned the flames of an already contentious debate." Among other things, it puts pressure on police officers to enforce rules that are "unenforceable" while making communities less safe -- in part, by making people more reluctant to report crimes, he said.

It also has "the potential of violating the rights of innocent American citizens and legal residents, making them subject to possible stops or questioning because of what they look like or how they sound."

Arizona's two senators, both Republicans, immediately called the reported Obama administration move "far too premature."

"Moreover, 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," Sens. Jon Kyl and John McCain said in a statement.

Democratic Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick called the threatened suit a "sideshow.

"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," she said in a statement.
Arizona's Republican governor, Jan Brewer, has accused the Obama administration of failing to secure the border with Mexico, thereby forcing her state to act on its own.

"Do your job. Secure the border," Brewer said of the president in a July 1 speech to a Republican group. She pledged to "defend this law against every assault, including attacks by the Obama administration."Obama renewed his push for comprehensive immigration reform last week, calling for bipartisan cooperation on an issue reflecting deep social and political divisions.

Seeking an elusive middle ground on the subject, the president highlighted the importance of immigrants to American history and progress while acknowledging the fear and frustration many feel with a system that he said seems "fundamentally broken."

He asserted that the majority of Americans are ready to embrace reform legislation that would help resolve the status of an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants.

In his July 1 speech, Obama warned that rounding up everyone in the country who has entered illegally would be both "logistically impossible" and "tear at the fabric of the nation." At the same time, the president indicated it would be wrong to offer blanket amnesty for people who came into the United States unlawfully.

Despite Obama's call for bipartisan immigration reform, several senior Democratic sources said Thursday that they see virtually no chance of Congress taking up such a measure before November's midterm elections.

A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. national poll conducted in late May indicated that public support for beefing up security along the U.S. border with Mexico had grown significantly. According to the survey, nearly nine out of 10 Americans want to increase U.S. law enforcement along the border with Mexico.

Eight in 10 questioned also supported a program that would allow illegal immigrants already in the United States to stay here and apply for legal residency, provided they had a job and paid back taxes.

But only 38 percent say that program should be a higher priority than border security and other get-tough proposals. Six in 10 said border security was the higher priority.

[Jagermeister]

Illegal Immigration Costs U.S. $113 Billion a Year, Study Finds

A related story that I found interesting.
By Ed Barnes

Published July 06, 2010
| FoxNews.com


The cost of harboring illegal immigrants in the United States is a staggering $113 billion a year -- an average of $1,117 for every “native-headed” household in America -- according to a study conducted by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR).

The study, a copy of which was provided to FoxNews.com, “is the first and most detailed look at the costs of illegal immigration ever done,” says Bob Dane, director of communications at FAIR, a conservative organization that seeks to end almost all immigration to the U.S.

FAIR's opponents in the bitter immigration debate describe the organization as "extremist," though it is regularly called upon to testify before Congress.

Groups that support immigration reform immediately attacked FAIR's report and pointed out that it is the polar opposite of the Perryman Report, a 2008 study that found illegal immigration was actually a boon to the American economy. It estimated that illegal immigrants add $245 billion in Gross Domestic Product to the economy and account for 2.8 million jobs.

The FAIR report comes as President Obama moves immigration reform to the top of his agenda, and it is likely to be a rallying point for those who oppose the president. At a speech Thursday at American University in Washington, D.C., Obama argued that the entire immigration system is broken and needs sweeping reforms. Among the changes he said are needed is "a path for [farm] workers to earn legal status," which the president's critics called an opening for a new amnesty program.

FAIR's report argues that there are two choices in the immigration debate: “One choice is pursuing a strategy that discourages future illegal migration and increasingly diminishes the current illegal alien population through denial of job opportunities and deportations. The other choice,” it says, “would repeat the unfortunate decision made in 1986 to adopt an amnesty that invited continued illegal migration.”

Click here to read FAIR's Executive Summary

The report states that an amnesty program wouldn’t appreciably increase tax revenue and would cost massive amounts in Social Security and public assistance expenses. An amnesty “would therefore be an accentuation of the already enormous fiscal burden,” the report concludes.

The single largest cost to the government of illegal immigration, according to the report, is an estimated $52 billion spent on schooling the children of illegals. “Nearly all those costs are absorbed by state and local governments,’ the report states.

Moreover, the study’s breakdown of costs on a state-by-state basis shows that in states with the largest number of illegals, the costs of illegal immigration are often greater than current, crippling budget deficits. In Texas, for example, the additional cost of immigration, $16.4 billion, is equal to the state’s current budget deficit; in California the additional cost of illegal immigration, $21.8 billion, is $8 billion more than the state’s current budget deficit of $13.8 billion; and in New York, the $6.8 billion deficit is roughly two-thirds the $9.5 billion yearly cost of its illegal population, according to Jack Martin, the researcher who completed the study.

Click here to see FAIR's state by state costs.

“The most important finding of the study is the enormous cost to state and local governments due to lack of enforcement of our immigration laws,” Martin wrote.

The report found that the federal government paid $28.6 billion in illegal related costs, and state and local governments paid $84.2 billion on an estimated 13 million undocumented residents. In his speech, Obama estimated that there are 11 million.

But FAIR's critics said the report wrongly included American-born children of undocumented workers in its study.

“The single biggest 'expense' it attributes to unauthorized immigrants is the education of their children, yet most of these children are native-born, U.S. citizens who will grow up to be taxpaying adults," said Walter Ewing, a senior researcher at the American Immigration Council. "It is disingenuous to count the cost of investing in the education of these children, so that they will earn higher incomes and pay more in taxes when they are adults, as if it were nothing more than a cost incurred by their parents."

He added that “the report fails to account for the purchasing power of unauthorized consumers, which supports U.S. businesses and U.S. jobs” and that it “ignores the value added to the U.S. economy by unauthorized workers, particularly in the service sector.”

Martin said FAIR expected that criticism, but that because the children are a direct result of illegal immigration, their inclusion was both fair and reasonable.

[Jesus H Christ]

Governor Jan Brewer's statement regarding federal lawsuit against Arizona

LINK...http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/...a/413059698539
Today I was notified that the federal government has filed a lawsuit against the State of Arizona. It is wrong that our own federal government is suing the people of Arizona for helping to enforce federal immigration law. 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. Today's filing is nothing more than a massive waste of taxpayer funds. These funds could be better used against the violent Mexican cartels than the people of Arizona.

The truth is the Arizona law is both reasonable and constitutional. It mirrors substantially what has been federal law in the United States for many decades. Arizona’s law is designed to complement, not supplant, enforcement of federal immigration laws. Despite the Department of Justice’s claims in paragraph 62 of today’s lawsuit, Arizona is not trying ‘to establish its own immigration policy’ or ‘directly regulate the immigration status of aliens.’ Arizona Revised Statutes § 11-1051(E) states that the federal government, along with local law enforcement officers authorized by the federal government, can only determine an alien’s immigration status. Subsection (L) of that same section goes on to state that the law ‘shall be implemented in a manner consistent with federal laws regulating immigration.

The irony is that President Obama’s Administration has chosen to sue Arizona for helping to enforce federal immigration law and not sue local governments that have adopted a patchwork of ‘sanctuary’ policies that directly violate federal law. These patchwork local ‘sanctuary’ policies instruct the police not to cooperate with federal immigration officials.

The best thing government can do is to create a stable, predictable environment, governed by an easily understood set of rules or laws. We do not need to make this more complicated than it already is. We must first and foremost create a secure border. Enhanced trade, economic opportunity and freedom will surely follow.

I am pleased that President Obama and the Department of Justice did not pursue the baseless claims of illegal racial profiling in the lawsuit. When signing S.B. 1070, I said, ‘My signature today represents my steadfast support for enforcing the law — both against illegal immigration AND against racial profiling.’ Arizona’s law expressly prohibits unconstitutional racial profiling. However, words are not enough. For this reason, I ordered the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board (AZPOST) to develop training on the new law for Arizona’s police officers. AZPOST has completed the training course and has published it for the all world to see at http://www.azpost.state.az.us/SB1070infocenter.htm . AZPOST has done its job professionally and served Arizona well.

I will not stop fighting to protect the citizens of Arizona, and to defend Arizonans in federal court. I have set up a legal defense fund to pay the substantial legal fees that Arizona has been, and will be, forced to incur as a result of all of these lawsuits. Contributions to the Border Security and Immigration Defense Fund can be made at http://www.keepazsafe.com/. My legal team will not hesitate to assert the rights of the State of Arizona in this matter. Arizona will ultimately prevail against the lawsuits – including this latest assault by the Obama Administration. Our laws will be found to be constitutional – because that is exactly what they are.

Governor Brewer's facebook page

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?v=wall&id=100000236533167#!/GovJanBrewer

[ULTRAMAN VH]

Homeland Security reports: The numbers don't lie.

* 83% of warrants for murder in Phoenix are for illegal aliens.

* 86% of warrants for murder in Albuquerque are for illegal aliens.

* 75% of those on the most wanted list in Los Angeles , Phoenix and Albuquerque are illegal aliens.

* 24.9% of all inmates in California detention centers are Mexican nationals

* 40.1% of all inmates in Arizona detention centers are Mexican nationals

* 48.2% of all inmates in New Mexico detention centers are Mexican nationals

* 29% (630,000) convicted illegal alien felons fill our state and Federal prisons at a cost of $1.6 billion annually

* 53% plus of all investigated burglaries reported in California, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona and Texas are perpetrated by illegal aliens.

* 50% plus of all gang members in Los Angeles are illegal aliens

* 71% plus of all apprehended cars stolen in 2005 in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California were stolen by Illegal aliens or "transport coyotes".

* 47% of cited/stopped drivers in California have no license, no insurance and no registration for the vehicle. Of that 47%, 92% are illegal aliens.

* 63% of cited/stopped drivers in Arizona have no license, no insurance and no registration for the vehicle. Of that 63%, 97% are illegal aliens

* 66% of cited/stopped drivers in New Mexico have no license, no insurance and no registration for the vehicle. Of that 66% 98% are illegal aliens.

* 380,000 plus "anchor babies" were born in the US to illegal alien parents in just one year, making 380,000 babies automatically US citizens (which is UN-Constitutional; illegal).

* 97.2% of all costs incurred from those illegal births were paid by the American taxpayers. That is almost ALL of them !

[Nickdfresh]

Homeland Security reports: The numbers don't lie.
...!

Then why don't you actually fucking link them, chain spam?

[Blaze]

Then why don't you actually fucking link them, chain spam?

http://www.savage-productions.com/illegal_alien_contributions.html

[Hardrock69]

So the Fed is saying to AZ: YOU CANNOT ENFORCE IMMIGRATION LAWS. THAT IS OUR JOB. NEVER MIND THAT WE DO NOT ENFORCE IMMIGRATION LAWS. WE DO NOT ANYONE ELSE TO MAKE US LOOK LIKE WE ARE NOT DOING OUR JOB ENFORCING IMMIGRATION LAWS.


Stupid fuckers....like they need anyone ELSE to show the world they are NOT doing their fucking jobs.

What is the fucking deal?

Chimpy made all kinds of speeches saying "We must secure our borders" then did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

Obama is more of the same.

All these people that say the American Public should take control of our Federal Government are spot on. The politicians are not doing anything. We need to vote out ALL the fucking incumbents, and start with a fresh Congress who has not been told what they CANNOT do. Yeah I know. No experienced members of Congress at all? Kind of unrealistic.

But it is those same fuckers who have been entrenched in Congress for decades who are a serious part of the problem.

[bueno bob]

I have to agree. Filing a lawsuit against Arizona is not the right move. In fact, it's just dumb.

[Catfish]

People who are coming out against the Arizona law either:

1) are doing it for political gain (read: future minority votes) or

2) because they haven't read the god damn thing and don't understand it

[ELVIS]

I have to agree. Filing a lawsuit against Arizona is not the right move. In fact, it's just dumb.

Especially for Obama when he finds himself on the wrong side of this issue politically...

[Jagermeister]

Neal Boorts said something like.

" It's not racial profiling. To catch illegal Mexicans you have to look for Mexicans"
something like that.

Sounds logical.

[Jagermeister]

LOL. From Boortz FAQ page


People often call you a racist. Are you?

Hell, who doesn’t get called a racist from time to time? It’s the all-purpose weapon to be used against any person who doesn’t toe the leftist line on matters of race. Ninety-nine percent of the people who throw charges of racism around can’t even define the term. Simply put – racism is the belief in the inherent, genetic superiority of one race over another, and the corresponding belief in the right of the superior race to dominate the inferior one. People often get racism mixed up with bigotry or prejudice. We need to get our terminology straightened out. We obviously have racial problems that need solving. The first step in solving a problem is to identify it. If we keep miss-identifying bigotry and prejudice as racism we’ll never make any headway. By the way, I do freely admit to being a "culturalist." This, of course, drives the multicultural crowd absolutely nuts.

[Catfish]

Neal Boorts said something like.

" It's not racial profiling. To catch illegal Mexicans you have to look for Mexicans"
something like that.

Sounds logical.

All of this opposition is nonsense. In order for an Arizona police officer to even look into a Mexican person's stance, that person in question as to already be breaking a law.

SO DON'T BREAK ANY LAWS AND YOU WON'T BE BOTHERED!!!!

[Catfish]

Then why don't you actually fucking link them, chain spam?

So fucking typical.

[Jagermeister]

All of this opposition is nonsense. In order for an Arizona police officer to even look into a Mexican person's stance, that person in question as to already be breaking a law.

SO DON'T BREAK ANY LAWS AND YOU WON'T BE BOTHERED!!!!

How many do you think have car insurance? Required by law in most states. Just sayin....