Should Arizona countersue?
If the Obama administration fights Arizona over its crackdown on illegal immigration, says Laurie Roberts in The Arizona Republic, maybe the state should sue the feds for creating the problem
Arizona has been "the nation's punching bag" since passing the state's tough immigration bill a few months back, says Laurie Roberts in The Arizona Repubic. Maybe it's time to start punching back. President Obama's "emissaries" are dropping in on Gov. Jan Brewer this week as the Justice Department prepares to file a lawsuit to stop the state's crackdown on illegal immigrants. Before they do, Brewer might want to send Obama the bill for the $150 million the state shells out every year to incarcerate illegal immigrants. After all, it's the federal government's job to keep people from crossing the border into the U.S. without proper papers, so why shouldn't Washington pay the "burden that exists because the federal government can't — or won't — do its job"? Here, an excerpt:
"Instead of our own government suing us this week — what, five lawsuits over SB 1070 isn't enough? — perhaps the Justice Department might like to conserve its resources and pay its bills which, in Arizona, are long, long past due.
According to Brewer's office, the feds now owe us $750 million to cover prison costs dating as far back as 2003.
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Who knows? Maybe Obama's staffers will be bringing a pile of gold today when they meet with Brewer, to satisfy their debt. If not, was I governor I might be inclined to toss in one more gift for Obama's staffers to deliver to the White House . . . a summons.
Maybe it's time for us to file a lawsuit of our own."
Read the full article at The Arizona Republic.
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