Hours after Obama denounced the measure as “”misguided,”” Brewer signed the bill, which makes it a crime to not possess proper immigration paperwork and requires police to determine whether people are in
Obama signaled that a legal showdown might be possible, and Department of Justice officials said they “”were reviewing the bill”” but declined to discuss the legislation further. Immigrant rights groups have vowed a court fight, arguing that regulating immigration is a federal matter.
Brewer, at an afternoon news conference in
Brewer spent as much time during her remarks talking about diversity and the need to avoid racial profiling as she did talking about fighting crime and protecting
But the law’s opponents were highly skeptical that it could be enforced without police singling out Latinos. One provision of the law prevents police from using race “”solely”” to form a suspicion about someone’s legality, but the law does not prevent race from being a factor.
The bill, SB 1070, landed on Brewer’s desk Monday afternoon; she had until Saturday to sign or veto it. The Republican governor, who is advocating a 1 percent sales tax increase on the ballot next month, faces a tough primary in August. Virtually every Republican in the Legislature voted for the bill.
Hundreds of high school students left schools this week in protest, pouring into the plaza outside the Capitol and urging a veto. Religious leaders and police chiefs — and thousands of callers to the governor’s office — pressed for Brewer to reject the law. Some
But a recent poll showed that 70 percent of state voters supported the measure — even though 53 percent said it could lead to civil rights violations. Because of that broad support in the state that is the main gateway for illegal immigrants into
“”It’s a sad day for the country,”” said
Foes of illegal immigration were elated.
“”
Unless opponents can stop it with lawsuits, the law will take effect 90 days after the legislative session ends later this month or in May.
The law creates the new misdemeanor and requires local police to enforce it. The law’s supporters argue that fears of widespread racial profiling are overblown, and that it will instead be used sparingly by police to augment investigations into crimes.
But many of those supporters also cite
“”The state of
In
“”Our failure to act responsibly at the federal level will only open the door to irresponsibility by others,”” Obama said in the
Obama has devoted more energy to passing an immigration bill this year, but the prospects remain dim, with only one Republican senator voicing measured support and some Democrats hoping it gets put off.
In
Secretary of Homeland Security
“”With the strong support of state and local law enforcement, I vetoed several similar pieces of legislation as governor of
State Sen.
Gutierrez, the former Senate leader, said Obama’s statements heartened activists who were angered by recent federal immigration raids and the lack of an immigration bill in
(Tribune Washington bureau staff writers