Phoenix councilors say they don't back Mayor Gordon on his plan to sue

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by Scott Wong - Apr. 27, 2010 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

Most Phoenix City Council members said Monday they will not support a plan by Mayor Phil Gordon to file a lawsuit against the state seeking to block the new law that targets illegal immigration.

Gordon, a Democrat, has called the legislation "unconstitutional," saying it will lead to racial profiling. He intends to put the proposal to a vote at a council meeting set for 2 p.m. today, said his chief of staff, Debra Stark.


But the council's five Republicans - Sal DiCiccio, Bill Gates, Claude Mattox, Peggy Neely and Thelda Williams - told The Arizona Republic they won't back a legal challenge to the law, which they say deals with immigration problems long ignored by Washington.

They also said it is fiscally irresponsible for Arizona's largest city to launch a taxpayer-funded suit when other entities, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, are contemplating litigation.

"The last thing we should be doing is spending money on this lawsuit when we have so many pressing needs in this city," Gates said. "We know there will be other entities bringing lawsuits - ACLU, MALDEF - we know that will happen."

Williams said the state had to toughen its illegal-immigration policies because of inaction by the federal government.

"I don't think people in Phoenix, people in Arizona need to be subjected anymore to the crime and drugs pouring across the border," said Williams, who formerly worked for immigration-hardliner Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Today, Gordon will ask the nine-member council to direct the city attorney to prepare a lawsuit seeking an injunction to prevent the law from taking effect.

For days, the mayor has refused to speak to The Republic's City Hall reporter, but he told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Monday that he personally would sue the state if he could not corral the five necessary votes.

Gordon added that he's troubled by recent calls for economic boycotts of Arizona. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors will consider a resolution banning the city from doing any business in Arizona-based firms or the state.

His CNN appearance was part of a days-long media blitz to drum up opposition to the law and support for potential litigation. Since Senate Bill 1070 was signed by GOP Gov. Jan Brewer on Friday, Gordon has given interviews to Fox News' Bill O'Reilly, ABC's "Good Morning America Weekend" and CBS News.

The law "unconstitutionally co-opts our police force to enforce immigration laws that are the rightful jurisdiction of the federal government," Gordon wrote in an opinion piece in the Washington Post.

The law makes it a state crime for a person to be in Arizona illegally and requires police officers to make a reasonable attempt to determine the immigration status of a person if there is suspicion that person is in the country illegally.

www.azcentral.com