Ariz. Gov. Brewer turns down congressional hearing on immigration law
Ariz. Gov. Jan Brewer declined an invitation to defend the state’s immigration law before Congress. (Gage Skidmore)
By JUAN GASTELUM
Channel: Immigration
A spokesman for Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer on Thursday said the governor is unlikely to attend a congressional hearing on the state’s immigration law in April, according to the Washington Times.
“It doesn’t appear that this would be the most productive hearing for Brewer to attend,” Brewer’s spokesman, Matthew Benson, told the Times.
Representatives from the state are scheduled to defend the law, SB 1070, before the Supreme Court on April 25.
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), the chairman of the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on immigration, is planning to hold a hearing on the issue April 24. In a public letter on Thursday, Schumer urged Brewer to attend the hearing, saying it was critical for the Senate to know whether she still believes the law is necessary given the progress made in securing the nation’s southwestern border (Schumer cited increases in border agents and drug interdictions, as well as a drop in the number of people arrested for trying to cross the border illegally).
Benson dismissed the invitation as “publicity stunt” intended to score political points rather than help the border.
“The fact is that it’s due to inaction by individuals like Senator Schumer that this country is in this mess with border enforcement in the first place,” he said.
Brewer signed SB 1070 in April 2010, but the Obama administration sued to block the law before it went into effect. The administration’s lawsuit claims the state law, which requires local law enforcement officers to ask about the immigration status of anyone they suspect is in the country illegally, is pre-empted by federal law. Lower courts have sided with the administration.
SB 1070 also served as the blueprint for other state-based immigration laws in Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and others. The Supreme Court’s decision will likely weigh heavily on pending cases against those laws. On Tuesday, a federal judge in Utah said he would wait until the Supreme Court’s ruling to decide on a case against the state’s immigration law, HB497.
