http://www.kpho.com/Global/story.asp?S=4780975

Governor vetoes effort to criminalize immigrants' presence in Arizona

PHOENIX Governor Janet Napolitano vetoed a bill today that would have criminalized the presence of illegal immigrants in Arizona.

She cited opposition from police agencies that want immigration arrests to remain the responsibility of the federal government.

The proposal would have expanded the state's trespassing law to let local authorities arrest illegal immigrants anywhere in Arizona, the nation's busiest illegal entry point.

Congress also had considered criminalizing the presence of illegal immigrants in the country.

Napolitano says she opposes automatically turning all immigrants who sneaked into the state into criminals.

She also says the Arizona bill provided no funding for the new duties and that lawmakers ignored the opinions of officials most affected by illegal immigration.

Supporters say the bill would have provided a second layer of enforcement to catch the tens of thousands of immigrants who slip past federal agents each year.

Republican Senator Barbara Leff, who proposed the bill, says the veto demonstrates that the governor doesn't want to confront illegal immigration.