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Arizona Democrats urge Obama not to sue over controversial immigration law
Arizona Democrats facing tough reelection races are distancing themselves from the Obama administration as it prepares to file a lawsuit against the state over its controversial immigration law.Rep. Harry Mitchell (D-Ariz.) on Monday sent a sharply worded letter to President Barack Obama urging him not to sue. "I believe your administration's time, efforts and resources would be much better spent securing the border and fixing our broken immigration system," the two-term congressman wrote in the letter. "Arizonans are tired of the grandstanding, and tired of waiting for help from Washington. ... [A] lawsuit won't solve the problem. It won't secure the border, and it won't fix our broken immigration system." Republican primaries in Arizona won't be decided until August, but the prospective challengers have been hitting Democrats for not supporting the law or not staking out a specific position. Democrats, meanwhile, are trying to maneuver past the controversial issue by focusing on border security and calling for action on immigration reform at the federal level. But if the Obama administration goes ahead with the suit, it will put the issue front and center during a campaign in which Democrats already face a tough environment. This week Mitchell was joined by two other vulnerable Democrats in expressing public opposition to the administration's legal strategy. Reps. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) and Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.) are also urging the administration to reconsider its suit. "Congresswoman Giffords wants more federal agents on the Arizona border, not federal lawyers in court arguing with state lawyers about a law that will do nothing to increase public safety in the communities she represents," C.J. Karamargin, a spokesman for the congresswoman, told The Hill. Kirkpatrick likewise said the administration should focus on border security. "I am calling on the president and the attorney general to abandon preparations for a lawsuit against Arizona, and to recommit to finding a national solution to fixing this national problem," the freshman lawmaker said in a statement released Monday. "The administration should focus on working with Arizona to put together a long-term strategy to secure our borders and reform our immigration policy. ... The time for talk is over, and the time for action is here." Posted by: Fred 2010-06-24 |
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