Thread: Ariz imm bill: Joe Arpaio, county atty spar over proposal

Arizona immigration bill: Joe Arpaio, county attorney spar over proposal
241 commentsby Michael Kiefer - Apr. 22, 2010 12:40 PM

The Arizona immigration bill awaiting the governor's signature continued Thursday to draw support and opposition among public officials.

The office of Gov. Jan Brewer said she will not take action on the legislation today.


Newly appointed interim Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley on Thursday asked Gov. Jan Brewer to veto the immigration bill sent to her by Arizona lawmakers. An interfaith coalition of religious leaders, too, expressed concerns about the legislation in a statement and encouraged her to reject it.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, meanwhile, issued a statement shortly thereafter urging Brewer to sign the bill.

Senate Bill 1070 would make it a state crime to be in the country illegally and requires local law enforcement to determine an individual's immigration status if they suspect that person is in the country illegally. Brewer has until Saturday to sign or veto the bill. If she does neither, it will tacitly become law.

Romley announced his opposition to the measure at a press conference Thursday morning.

"I have placed a call with the governor's office, and I will be asking the governor to veto that bill," he said. "I will be asking her to send that bill back to the Legislature, to rework main provisions, call a special session, offering the assistance of this office in the redrafting of that bill."

Romley called the bill an "unfunded mandate" that would be costly to law enforcement, and he cited the civil rights concerns of incarcerating people based on suspicions about their nationality.

"This bill is tearing the community apart," he said.

Arpaio, however, said: "Giving all of my deputies the ability to enforce all immigration laws has not proven to be any additional strain of resources like so many critics of the proposed state immigration law claim. Their argument is a cop out because they do not want illegal immigration
laws enforced."

Romley acknowledged that if it passes into law, he will be obligated to enforce it.

Romley also said that he would change the focus of enforcing existing immigration law away from prosecuting illegal immigrants for conspiracy to smuggle themselves, and move instead to bring down organized crime syndicates engaged in human smuggling.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoe ... 22-ON.html

A DA sworn to uphold the law including federal immigration laws refusing to comply with the law. Talk about arrogance and corruption.....Unbelievable.....

Romley called the bill an "unfunded mandate"

Kind of like Educating IAs and supplying them medical care in our emergency rooms? The savings to those two unfunded mandates would offset any costs of enforcement by exponential numbers.