Arizona immigration law supporters gather at state Capitol
Arizona immigration law supporters gather at state Capitol
Community groups opposed to SB 1070 will rally this afternoon
by Daniel Gonzalez - Apr. 25, 2012 01:58 PM
The Republic | azcentral.com
About 25 "tea party" supporters gathered outside the state Capitol Wednesday morning to support Arizona's immigration enforcement law, Senate Bill 1070. They also made a point that they support legal immigration, but not illegal immigration.
State Rep. Carl Seel, R-Phoenix; state Rep. Jack Harper, R-Surprise; and state Rep. John Fillmore all spoke, saying they were confident that the Supreme Court will uphold the law.
"We expect the Supreme Court to give a solid good constitutional decision that will affirm 1070, because all it merely does is require local law enforcement to enforce federal immigration law, or better equip them to do so," Seel said.
Harper said he still stands by SB 1070.
"We believe the U.S. Supreme Court is going to uphold the tenets of the bill by a 5-3 vote, and we are ecstatic about that and we are happy to lead the nation in standing by the rule of law. And we are happy that other states have adopted the same laws that were able to go farther," Harper said.
Former Republican Congressman Matt Salmon, who is running for a seat in Congressional District 5, said SB 1070 is the law of Arizona.
"I believe it is a mirror of federal law and that is why I believe that the Supreme Court will uphold the law because it simply enforces what the federal government is supposed to do," he said. "And make no mistake, the only reason, that 1070 came to be was because of an abject failure of the federal government to do its job."
Kelly Townsend, co-founder of the Greater Phoenix Tea Party, said the group does "enthusiastically support" legal immigration, but "we cannot condone however those who become lawbreakers the minute they step into this country."
"We cannot put our hope in President Obama that he will honor the separation of powers and we fear he will continue to bypass Congress and the Supreme Court and dictate his will through executive order as he has done with his recent back-door amnesty policy," she added.
Community groups that oppose SB 1070 have organized a rally and march scheduled to start at 3 p.m. at Civic Space Park, near Central Avenue and Van Buren St. Organizers plan to march by Phoenix police headquarters, the federal courthouse and the Fourth Avenue Jail.
