Feds sue Ariz. over immigration law

ATLANTA — The federal government is suing the state of Arizona over its controversial immigration law.

“The Obama Administration has not done everything it can do to protect the people of Arizona from the violence and crime illegal immigration brings to our state,” U.S. Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., said in a joint statement. “Until it does, the federal government should not be suing Arizona on the grounds that immigration enforcement is solely a federal responsibility.”

Critics of the decision to sue contend the state’s law merely reinforces federal laws.

“The Justice Department’s complaint that Arizona has somehow preempted federal law is nothing short of ridiculous,” U.S. Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., said in a statement. “Arizona has simply reinforced longstanding federal laws, whose enforcement the Obama administration is now actively seeking to prevent.

“This will do nothing to stop illegal immigration in America and only add to the political divide over this issue,” Price added. “States like Arizona should not have to act on their own, but Washington’s decades of neglect for border security leave them no choice. The federal government should be vigorously securing the border, not suing the State of Arizona.”