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Arizona Immigration Law to Take Center Stage in First Meeting After Weeks of Jabs
President Obama sits down with Arizona's Republican Gov. Jan Brewer today for the first time since the state passed its controversial new immigration law.
The Arizona law, signed in April, requires state law enforcement officers to determine the immigration status of someone they've stopped, detained or arrested if there is "reasonable suspicion" the individual is in the country illegally and turn over offenders to federal immigration authorities.
The measure has sparked national debate, including boycotts of Arizona by some states, and drawn sharp criticism from civil rights groups, national police chiefs and President Obama, who's called the law "misguided" and warned it could be applied in a "discriminatory fashion."
Brewer, who requested the meeting with Obama while in Washington for a meeting of the Council of Governors, has insisted the law is no different from existing federal guidelines and is being mischaracterized by critics, some of whom have not read it.
"I think it's important that the leader of the United States and the governor of the state of Arizona sit down face to face and have a conversation of exactly what is going on in Arizona and ask him for his help," Brewer told reporters last week.
Following demands by Brewer and other Arizona leaders that the federal government do more to stem the flow of illegal migrants, drugs and weapons across the border with Mexico , President Obama last week authorized the deployment of up to 1,200 additional National Guard troops to assist border patrol.
But Brewer and Arizona Senators John McCain and Jon Kyl still say the federal government is not doing enough and say the embattled state law -- known as SB 1070 -- is one way local leaders can clamp down on the illegal immigration issue themselves.
"We've been putting up with this for eight, 10 years, we need [the border secured] now," Brewer said on CNN Tuesday. "We can't tolerate it any longer, America can't tolerate it any longer."
Brewer on Legal Challenge: 'Meet You in Court'
The administration and Congress have been at loggerheads over comprehensive immigration reform legislation that would enhance security along U.S. borders and address the situation of an estimated 10.8 million undocumented immigrants currently in the United States. Arizona is home to an estimated 460,000 of those immigrants.
Meanwhile, the administration is weighing a legal challenge to Arizona's law on grounds it may impede federal authority to set and enforce national immigration policy and could lead to abuses based on race.
Although the law specifically states that law enforcement officers may not consider race, color or national origin as a basis for inquiring about an individual's immigration status, Latinos and civil rights groups worry the potential for racial profiling is still there.
The Justice Department has been reviewing options for a potential legal case and could take several more weeks before sending recommendations to the White House for consideration.
Brewer, however, says she isn't concerned with any potential challenges to the law.
"I would say 'meet you in court,'" she said on CNN when asked about her reaction to the administration's potential legal case. "I have a pretty good record of winning in court."
Polls show that a majority of Americans support the Arizona law, and at least a dozen states are considering similar measures.
In a Pew Research Center pool released last month, 59 percent of Americans said they support Arizona's law, and 67 percent said they support allowing police to detain anyone who cannot provide their legal status. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found 64 percent of Americans approve of the law.
The law is set to take effect in Arizona July 29 barring any legal challenges.
President Obama, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer to Talk Immigration at White House - ABC News
President Obama sits down with Arizona's Republican Gov. Jan Brewer today for the first time since the state passed its controversial new immigration law.
The Arizona law, signed in April, requires state law enforcement officers to determine the immigration status of someone they've stopped, detained or arrested if there is "reasonable suspicion" the individual is in the country illegally and turn over offenders to federal immigration authorities.
The measure has sparked national debate, including boycotts of Arizona by some states, and drawn sharp criticism from civil rights groups, national police chiefs and President Obama, who's called the law "misguided" and warned it could be applied in a "discriminatory fashion."
Brewer, who requested the meeting with Obama while in Washington for a meeting of the Council of Governors, has insisted the law is no different from existing federal guidelines and is being mischaracterized by critics, some of whom have not read it.
"I think it's important that the leader of the United States and the governor of the state of Arizona sit down face to face and have a conversation of exactly what is going on in Arizona and ask him for his help," Brewer told reporters last week.
Following demands by Brewer and other Arizona leaders that the federal government do more to stem the flow of illegal migrants, drugs and weapons across the border with Mexico , President Obama last week authorized the deployment of up to 1,200 additional National Guard troops to assist border patrol.
But Brewer and Arizona Senators John McCain and Jon Kyl still say the federal government is not doing enough and say the embattled state law -- known as SB 1070 -- is one way local leaders can clamp down on the illegal immigration issue themselves.
"We've been putting up with this for eight, 10 years, we need [the border secured] now," Brewer said on CNN Tuesday. "We can't tolerate it any longer, America can't tolerate it any longer."
Brewer on Legal Challenge: 'Meet You in Court'
The administration and Congress have been at loggerheads over comprehensive immigration reform legislation that would enhance security along U.S. borders and address the situation of an estimated 10.8 million undocumented immigrants currently in the United States. Arizona is home to an estimated 460,000 of those immigrants.
Meanwhile, the administration is weighing a legal challenge to Arizona's law on grounds it may impede federal authority to set and enforce national immigration policy and could lead to abuses based on race.
Although the law specifically states that law enforcement officers may not consider race, color or national origin as a basis for inquiring about an individual's immigration status, Latinos and civil rights groups worry the potential for racial profiling is still there.
The Justice Department has been reviewing options for a potential legal case and could take several more weeks before sending recommendations to the White House for consideration.
Brewer, however, says she isn't concerned with any potential challenges to the law.
"I would say 'meet you in court,'" she said on CNN when asked about her reaction to the administration's potential legal case. "I have a pretty good record of winning in court."
Polls show that a majority of Americans support the Arizona law, and at least a dozen states are considering similar measures.
In a Pew Research Center pool released last month, 59 percent of Americans said they support Arizona's law, and 67 percent said they support allowing police to detain anyone who cannot provide their legal status. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found 64 percent of Americans approve of the law.
The law is set to take effect in Arizona July 29 barring any legal challenges.
President Obama, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer to Talk Immigration at White House - ABC News
