Hispanic GOP Group to Announce Support for Arizona Immigration Law
By Joshua Rhett Miller

Published July 20, 2010
| FoxNews.com

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/07/20/hispanic-gop-group-announce-support-arizona-immigration-law/

AP

The Arizona Latino Republican Association will become the first Hispanic organization in the country to actively oppose the Department of Justice's lawsuit against the state of Arizona's new immigration law.

Larry Klayman, founder of Freedom Watch, Inc., said he will be joined by ALRA Chairman Jesse Hernandez and members of the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association at an announcement Thursday morning in Phoenix.

ALRA will become the first group of Latino Americans to "put a foot forward legally" in support of S.B. 1070 by filing a motion to intervene against the Justice Department's lawsuit challenging Arizona's immigration policy, Klayman said.

"This is a way to tell the country that, 'Hey, we're Americans too and we believe in the rule of law," Klayman told Foxnews.com. "It's a way to say, 'We got here legally and we contributed a great deal. We want the rest of the country to recognize that we're with you' [in the national immigration debate]."

By filing the motion, Klayman said ALRA will be "in effect, a defendant" in the DOJ lawsuit, which names the state of Arizona as well as Gov. Jan Brewer as defendants. The Justice Department claims the federal government has "preeminent authority" on immigration enforcement and that the Arizona law "disrupts" that balance.

The motion was being finalized as of Tuesday.

"We're still working on it," said Klayman, adding that he expects the motion to be filed ahead of a court hearing scheduled for Thursday on the DOJ lawsuit.

Attempts to reach Hernandez were not successful. A message seeking comment from the Department of Justice was not immediately returned.

Arizona's law, which was passed in April, requires police officers conducting traffic stops or questioning suspects about legal violations to ask about immigration status if "reasonable suspicion" exists that the individuals is in the country illegally. Critics have said the law will lead to racial profiling.

Meanwhile, seven Latin American countries -- Bolivia, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Paraguay and Peru -- are seeking to join Mexico in support of a lawsuit challenging Arizona's law. The countries have filed separate motions to join Mexico's legal brief supporting the lawsuit filed by U.S. civil rights and other advocacy groups. A federal judge formally accepted Mexico's filing, but did not immediately rule on the latest motions filed late last week.

Rep. Steve Montenegro, R-Ariz., the youngest member of the state's legislature, was the only Hispanic to vote in support of Arizona's new law. As the son of immigrants who came to the U.S. legally, Montenegro became a citizen at age 18 and has repeatedly voiced his support of S.B. 1070.

"America is a not a race," Montenegro told Fox News. "The United States of America is not the color of your skin, it is the way you think, the way you see life."

On officially becoming a U.S. citizen, Montenegro said, "When you finally reach that day, you understand that being an American is a responsibility, not just an entitlement."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

thats it exactly the illegals think its an entitlement. plain and simple,

I still don't agree with Arizona immigration law,I think it will lead to more problems than it solves, I also don't completely understand it~ so maybe that is why I disagree with it, I think it is profiling pure and simple,and racist.

Rosco the law will be a blessing, it is not written in words to profile only to enforce already Fed. laws on the books. The murders and drug trafficking ,kidnappings in Az. has got to stop. If you want to be in this country do it legally. They leach the system for medical care which we all end up paying for with our tax dollars. Why Obama is not protecting one of his 50 states he was elected from is beyond me. He does seem to be big buddies with the Mexican Pres. maybe that takes precedence over the safety of Americans. And of course we get Mexican oil so there again is another reason to be oil independent on other countries.

gypsy wrote:I still don't agree with Arizona immigration law,I think it will lead to more problems than it solves, I also don't completely understand it~ so maybe that is why I disagree with it, I think it is profiling pure and simple,and racist.

you left out one important word, ILLEGAL immigration, this is not an immigration law but for illegals and they can only be checked when stopped for other reasons,they never should have crossed the border in the first place, its illegal to cross the border unless u do it the legal way. when they do they have broken the law, the ppl of Arizona are tired of all the illegals, and i believe the ppl of the state back this law, but i have posted about all i will post on it,

With a setback today for all LEGAL Americans , the AZ. law was shaved back but not completely trashed. Az. has vowed to continue the fight to guarantee safety for Arizona citizens which by the way are a part of the United States not Mexico.
A true shame was reported in Slidell La. as a 12 year old girl was raped by an illegal, what part of these people are trash does Obama not comprehend.

Great response today by Gov. Brewer a speedy appeal to the poor judgement ruling by a fed. judge yesterday. It will now go to the 9th Dist. court of appeals . Even with a short lived partial victory illegals have crowded the streets and caused big problems resulting in dozens of arrests.