Will the last American to leave

[Medicine Man]

Arizona please bring the US Flag out with you.



By Alan Gomez, Kevin Johnson and Alia Beard Rau, USA TODAY

PHOENIX - A federal judge blocked enforcement of the most controversial aspect of Arizona's immigration law Wednesday in a ruling that raised new tensions in the legal and political fight that has divided much of the nation.

Hours before the law was set to take effect, U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton put on hold key provisions, including the heart of the statute that would give police the authority to check suspects' immigration status during routine stops if there was reasonable suspicion that the suspects were in the country illegally.

The decision, a temporary fix until the full legal dispute is aired, also blocks sections of the law that would prohibit illegal immigrants from seeking work and require documented immigrants to carry their registration papers.

Other parts of the law, including a provision that makes it a state crime for suspects to transport or harbor illegal immigrants, will be allowed to take effect Thursday.

SHERIFF: Vows to jail immigration law protesters

Bolton's ruling came as supporters and opponents of the law massed in Phoenix and officials from other states considered similar laws to deal with their own illegal immigration troubles.

"You can't have 50 states doing their own version of immigration law," Phoenix Vice Mayor Michael Nowakowski said from the steps of the Sandra Day O'Connor U.S. Courthouse.

Responding to polls that show that about 60% of Arizonans support the law, Nowakowski said women might not have received the right to vote and African Americans might not have attained their rights if those issues were left up to public sentiment.

"Polls are for politicians and for elections, they're not for civil rights and human rights," he said.

The Justice Department, which brought one of several challenges to the law, issued a statement Wednesday applauding the judge's decision.

"While we understand the frustration of Arizonans with the broken immigration system, a patchwork of state and local policies would seriously disrupt federal immigration enforcement and would ultimately be counterproductive," Justice spokeswoman Hannah August said. "States can and do play a role in cooperating with the federal government in its enforcement of the immigration laws, but they must do so within our constitutional framework."

Bolton's ruling followed hearings on three of seven federal lawsuits challenging the law. Plaintiffs besides the Justice Department included the American Civil Liberties Union, Phoenix and Tucson police officers, municipalities, illegal immigrants and non-profit groups.

Bolton denied legal requests by Republican Gov. Jan Brewer, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and several other defendants seeking to have the lawsuits dismissed because, they argued, the plaintiffs did not prove they would be harmed by the law if it went into effect.

Hearings will be scheduled on the full case in the seven lawsuits. All or some of the suits could be consolidated.

A full court hearing is likely to involve appeals, possibly as far as the U.S. Supreme Court, and could take several years.

Republican state Rep. John Kavanagh, one of the co-sponsors of the bill, called Bolton's ruling "very disappointing," saying she "went to the meat of the law."

"The decision is very disappointing," Kavanagh said. "Those were major parts of the law that helped us battle illegal immigration. I assume that we will immediately appeal to the 9th Circuit (Court of Appeals)."

Kavanagh said the state remained committed to defending the law and seeing it enacted. "This is only the start of the legal battle."

David Gonzales, U.S. marshal in Arizona, whose agency is charged with security at the federal courthouse in downtown Phoenix, said the building was closed to the public except for those who have business there.

Gonzales said there was some concern about protesters in the wake of Bolton's ruling.

Lydia Guzman, president of the Phoenix-based Hispanic civil rights group Somos America, said demonstrations planned for Thursday will go on. "They were going to be protests, but now they are going to be celebratory demonstrations," she said.Speaking about how the ruling fits into the larger battle for Hispanic rights, Guzman said, "It is a small victory in a big battle."

"When you have situations like this, emotions are running high on both ends," Gonzales said, "so the potential for violence is high."

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., a member of the House Judiciary Committee and the ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said in a statement, "The federal government has a right and a responsibility to enforce existing laws, but when they fail to meet that responsibility, we should not stand in the way of the states that take action to respond to the very real threat of border violence, drug cartels and human smuggling. The people who live under the constant threat of border violence have every right to be protected and have every right to defend themselves, their families and their communities."

Issa said he's certain that the Supreme Court will agree that there is no legal recourse or precedent for stopping Arizona from "operating within its rights by asserting its sovereignty in support of immigration laws that the federal government has failed to enforce."
Originally posted on usatoday.com.

[walker]

Originally Posted by Medicine Man

Arizona please bring the US Flag out with you.



By Alan Gomez, Kevin Johnson and Alia Beard Rau, USA TODAY

PHOENIX - A federal judge blocked enforcement of the most controversial aspect of Arizona's immigration law Wednesday in a ruling that raised new tensions in the legal and political fight that has divided much of the nation.

Hours before the law was set to take effect, U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton put on hold key provisions, including the heart of the statute that would give police the authority to check suspects' immigration status during routine stops if there was reasonable suspicion that the suspects were in the country illegally.

The decision, a temporary fix until the full legal dispute is aired, also blocks sections of the law that would prohibit illegal immigrants from seeking work and require documented immigrants to carry their registration papers.

Other parts of the law, including a provision that makes it a state crime for suspects to transport or harbor illegal immigrants, will be allowed to take effect Thursday.

SHERIFF: Vows to jail immigration law protesters

Bolton's ruling came as supporters and opponents of the law massed in Phoenix and officials from other states considered similar laws to deal with their own illegal immigration troubles.

"You can't have 50 states doing their own version of immigration law," Phoenix Vice Mayor Michael Nowakowski said from the steps of the Sandra Day O'Connor U.S. Courthouse.

Responding to polls that show that about 60% of Arizonans support the law, Nowakowski said women might not have received the right to vote and African Americans might not have attained their rights if those issues were left up to public sentiment.

"Polls are for politicians and for elections, they're not for civil rights and human rights," he said.

The Justice Department, which brought one of several challenges to the law, issued a statement Wednesday applauding the judge's decision.

"While we understand the frustration of Arizonans with the broken immigration system, a patchwork of state and local policies would seriously disrupt federal immigration enforcement and would ultimately be counterproductive," Justice spokeswoman Hannah August said. "States can and do play a role in cooperating with the federal government in its enforcement of the immigration laws, but they must do so within our constitutional framework."

Bolton's ruling followed hearings on three of seven federal lawsuits challenging the law. Plaintiffs besides the Justice Department included the American Civil Liberties Union, Phoenix and Tucson police officers, municipalities, illegal immigrants and non-profit groups.

Bolton denied legal requests by Republican Gov. Jan Brewer, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and several other defendants seeking to have the lawsuits dismissed because, they argued, the plaintiffs did not prove they would be harmed by the law if it went into effect.

Hearings will be scheduled on the full case in the seven lawsuits. All or some of the suits could be consolidated.

A full court hearing is likely to involve appeals, possibly as far as the U.S. Supreme Court, and could take several years.

Republican state Rep. John Kavanagh, one of the co-sponsors of the bill, called Bolton's ruling "very disappointing," saying she "went to the meat of the law."

"The decision is very disappointing," Kavanagh said. "Those were major parts of the law that helped us battle illegal immigration. I assume that we will immediately appeal to the 9th Circuit (Court of Appeals)."

Kavanagh said the state remained committed to defending the law and seeing it enacted. "This is only the start of the legal battle."

David Gonzales, U.S. marshal in Arizona, whose agency is charged with security at the federal courthouse in downtown Phoenix, said the building was closed to the public except for those who have business there.

Gonzales said there was some concern about protesters in the wake of Bolton's ruling.

Lydia Guzman, president of the Phoenix-based Hispanic civil rights group Somos America, said demonstrations planned for Thursday will go on. "They were going to be protests, but now they are going to be celebratory demonstrations," she said.Speaking about how the ruling fits into the larger battle for Hispanic rights, Guzman said, "It is a small victory in a big battle."

"When you have situations like this, emotions are running high on both ends," Gonzales said, "so the potential for violence is high."

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., a member of the House Judiciary Committee and the ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said in a statement, "The federal government has a right and a responsibility to enforce existing laws, but when they fail to meet that responsibility, we should not stand in the way of the states that take action to respond to the very real threat of border violence, drug cartels and human smuggling. The people who live under the constant threat of border violence have every right to be protected and have every right to defend themselves, their families and their communities."

Issa said he's certain that the Supreme Court will agree that there is no legal recourse or precedent for stopping Arizona from "operating within its rights by asserting its sovereignty in support of immigration laws that the federal government has failed to enforce."
Originally posted on usatoday.com.

typical liberal bullshit

[special_k]

if the federal .gov would do their job the states would have no worry.....the states have no choice but to pass legislation so they CAN enforce immigration laws.....this one will be in court for awhile