Abby Sewell/MNS
Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., speaks against an anti-illegal immigration bill that passed the Arizona state legislature.
WASHINGTON – House Hispanic leaders called on President Barack Obama Tuesday to take action against anti-illegal immigration legislation in Arizona and to throw his weight behind comprehensive immigration reform.
Reps. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., and Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., demanded a halt to the bill that passed Arizona’s Senate Monday. If signed into law by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, the bill would require immigrants to carry their alien registration cards with them at all times and police to check people’s immigration status whenever there is “reasonable suspicion” that they are in the country illegally.
Grijalva and Gutierrez said that if Republican governor signs the bill into law, the Obama administration should step in to stop it.
“The president of the United States should simply say, ‘On the issue of immigration, the constitution is clear, my power is clear – I’m going to regulate immigration in the United States from a federal level,’” Gutierrez said.
Thomas Saenz, president of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, who appeared with the congressmen at a press conference, said the Department of Homeland Security could end agreements that allow Arizona law enforcement to police immigration laws or the Department of Justice could challenge the initiative as a violation of civil rights law.
An Obama administration official said the White House is reviewing the Arizona legislation.
Even without action from the White House, Saenz said the Arizona law would face challenges in federal court like those that ultimately brought down a similar initiative enacted in California in 1994. He said that MALDEF has already been contacted by potential clients in Arizona.
“Absolutely, there will be a legal challenge,” Saenz said after the press conference.
Gutierrez also blasted the president for failing to push for comprehensive immigration reform legislation. Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., rolled out a framework for reform in March, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., told immigration advocates at an April 10 rally in Las Vegas that he would make immigration reform a priority.
Gutierrez said there is a narrow window of time to introduce a bill in the Senate between Memorial Day and July 4, when he projected that Congress will turn its attention to replacing retiring Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens.
However, Gutierrez said Tuesday he believes the administration does not see immigration reform as a priority.
In a written response, the White House pledged its commitment to moving immigration reform forward this year and said it has been working closely with the Senate.
“Senator Schumer and Graham were both in the Oval Office last month talking with the President on how to move forward together, including strategies for securing additional Republican support,” the statement said.
White House spokesman Nick Shapiro also said via e-mail that Obama called Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., from Air Force One Tuesday to discuss immigration reform.