MAY 11, 2011
President pushes amnesty and ignores local law enforcement
Persists in legal attack against Arizona and its sheriffs
PHOENIX – Today, Sheriffs Larry Dever of Cochise County and Paul Babeu of Pinal County, honorary co-chairs of www.BorderSheriffs.com, welcomed the President’s speech on immigration reform but criticized his continued inaction on the border and lawsuit against Arizona and its immigration law, SB 1070.
“Finally, it appears the President has turned his attention to illegal immigration and our border security,” said Sheriff Babeu. “But his speech today, while welcome to those fighting illegal immigration in border states, further highlights the federal government’s inaction to plug the border. He is right to extend the National Guard’s presence there to help our own efforts, but this is only a band-aid to our border’s gaping wound.
“Granting easy citizenship to illegal immigrants here only encourages more to pour over our borders—including many criminals and drug traffickers,” said Sheriff Dever. “Before we even begin to address other issues like illegal immigrants who are already in the country, the border must be secure—and that’s what SB 1070 helped us do before it was struck down by the Ninth Circuit court. The President and his Administration attacked the parts of the law that aided us in our jobs, but do little to enforce the laws themselves. If the President is serious about a comprehensive solution to immigration, he will stop his Administration’s attack on Arizona and its sheriffs through the courts and work with us, not against us.
“We applaud Gov. Brewer for appealing directly to the Supreme Court this week so it can weigh in and hopefully stop the Administration’s assault. Status must have clear guidance on exactly what border security efforts they can undertake in the face of the federal government’s shortfall.”
BorderSheriffs.com is a project of the Legacy Foundation to help provide Arizona sheriffs such as Sheriff Dever a sufficient legal defense to take on the Obama Administration, the ACLU and others opposing a secure border and enforcement of SB1070. The Foundation is 501(c)(3) organization based in Des Moines, Iowa focused on state level policy matters, including constitutional and civil rights.
