Yesterday, Harris filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the U.S. Supreme Court, joining 10 other AGs -- including those from New York, Massachusetts, and Hawaii -- who claim that it's up to the feds, not the states, to identify persons with questionable status and decide whether they should be removed from the country.
Arizona claims SB 1070, the unpopular state law that allows police to check the status of residents without probably cause, only exists to help the feds boot illegal aliens. Yet Harris reminds the Southwest state that only the feds have the jurisdiction and authority to remove immigrants from the country.
Although Arizona claims that the law merely assists the federal government in the enforcement of federal law, the Arizona law in fact implements a distinct state policy on removal that supplants federally mandated enforcement priorities and disregards the federal requirement that state assistance in this area proceed under federal oversight.
Harris points out that California has always provided basic protections for all residents who comply with state law while leaving deportation issues to the feds.
Oral arguments will be heard April 25.
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