Federal vetoes countersuit, governor reiterates crackdown on illegal immigration

Federal vetoes countersuit, governor reiterates crackdown on illegal immigration (Alberta Times) On the 21st, a federal judge dismissed the Arizona governor’s complaint against the Obama administration for failing to...

Federal vetoes countersuit, governor reiterated crackdown on illegal entry (Alberta Times) On the 21st, a federal judge dismissed the Arizona governor’s accusation that the Obama administration failed to enforce immigration laws. Brewer said that due to federal obstruction, the state's border with Mexico has become out of control due to human and drug smuggling. The lawsuit is a counterclaim filed by Arizona against U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton's stay of some of Arizona's controversial immigration law provisions. The Republican governor is seeking a court order requiring the federal government to take additional measures, such as more border fencing, to protect Arizona. In the lawsuit, the governor is not seeking a one-time award, but is asking the federal government to reimburse the state for the costs of detaining illegal immigrants who violated state laws. Attorneys for the Justice Department asked a judge to throw out the lawsuit, arguing that federal court is not the place to resolve Brewer's political issues. They argued that several of the governor's claims failed, and the appeals court decided to bar her case from proceeding. The U.S. Department of Justice sued Arizona last year to invalidate its immigration laws. Judge Bolton set aside key provisions of the law, including that police can have "reasonable suspicion" about a person's immigration status during law enforcement, which is illegal nationwide. Brewer has asked the U.S. Supreme Court for a hearing on Judge Bolton's ruling. The governor's office released a statement on the federal judge's ruling, saying the decision "is a disheartening but not entirely surprising." Brewer said, "This decision makes it even more important that the U.S. Supreme Court hears our SB 1070." The governor continued, "If the court does not hold the federal government accountable to Arizona, today's decision makes it clear that Arizona should step up its efforts to crack down on illegal immigration."