Judge blocks portions of Ariz. law

A federal judge today blocked portions of Arizona’s new immigration law from being enforced.

U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton, appointed to the bench by President Clinton, granted a preliminary injunction prohibiting Arizona authorities from enforcing elements of SB 1070. The Department of Justice earlier this month filed suit over the Arizona law, which takes effect Thursday.

“The sad reality of Judge Bolton’s ruling is that law-abiding Arizonans will have to continue to endure the effects of the Obama administration’s refusal to enforce U.S. immigration laws,” Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), said in a statement. “Arizonans will continue to face billions of dollars in costs, overburdened schools and hospitals, and violent crime that is associated with the federal government’s non-enforcement policy.

“The public frustration over the administration’s non-enforcement policy, both in Arizona and nationwide, will only increase as a consequence of today’s ruling,” Stein added. “The American people overwhelmingly support S.B. 1070, and political pressure to vigorously enforce immigration laws is likely to grow as a result of today’s ruling.”