Obama Calls Arizona Immigration Poorly Conceived

Washington - President Obama and senior members of his administration have criticized a new law by the state of Arizona that requires police to check those suspected of being illegal immigrants for immigration paperwork. They say the Arizona law highlights the need for the U.S. Congress to enact comprehensive and common sense immigration reform.

Speaking at a town hall meeting in Iowa April 27, Obama said the law, which may come into effect in Arizona in July, is "a poorly conceived law," and that its potential for profiling or harassing Hispanic Americans for their documentation is "not the right way to go."

The president acknowledged that while his administration has made "significant progress" in securing U.S. borders to prevent illegal immigration, "[t]he system is broken" and a comprehensive approach through federal legislation is needed to hold illegal immigrants responsible for breaking U.S. laws while also offering them a pathway to obtaining U.S. citizenship.

The legislation should also crack down on U.S. companies that are hiring illegal immigrants, he said.

"We can try to build as many fences as we want at the border, but the fact is if folks are making $2 a day back home, and they can make $10 an hour here, they're going to come here - unless we make sure that employers are doing what's lawful," the president said.

Obama said there are currently 11 million to 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States, and he urged Democrats and Republicans in Congress to pass a law that would require them to register and learn the English language, and would impose fines for their illegal entry. But such am law also should provide them with an opportunity eventually to gain citizenship, he said.

"If we have that kind of comprehensive approach, then we can once again be a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants," the president said.

Along with requiring police to check suspects for their paperwork, the Arizona law also places restrictions on soliciting and hiring day laborers off the street. It also allows Arizonans to utilize the state's legal system to force local authorities to uphold the law.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder described the law as "unfortunate" and "subject to potential abuse." Speaking in Washington April 27, he said the U.S. Department of Justice is now reviewing the law and is "considering all possibilities, including the possibility of a court challenge" in response.

"I'm very concerned about the wedge that it could draw between communities that law enforcement is supposed to serve and those of us in law enforcement," Holder said.

In reaction to the law, nonprofit organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and the National Immigration Law Center announced April 28 that they plan to challenge the measure in U.S. courts. According to news reports, additional civil challenges are expected. There have also been protests against the measure across the United States and some Americans have called on tourists to avoid visiting Arizona and for consumers to boycott companies that are based there.

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano told U.S. senators April 27 that the Obama administration is also concerned from a law enforcement perspective, fearing that as officials are asked to focus their efforts on detaining all illegal immigrants, they will be less able to devote time and resources toward more egregious criminals such as felons and gang members.

"Constitutional or not, there are some real law enforcement reasons why laws like that are misguided," Napolitano told the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Enforcement of the measure also creates an "undue barrier" between officials and crime victims, such as the victims of human trafficking, she said.

But Napolitano said Arizonan officials were motivated partly by their frustration over the lack of action by Congress on the immigration issue and she urged lawmakers to pass comprehensive reform legislation.

"The message sent from Arizona was that movement needs to occur, that this issue should not be allowed to languish," she said.