Arizona on Monday asked US appellate judges to let it put into effect a controversial crackdown on illegal immigrants, saying the state bordering Mexico had to step in when the US federal government had failed.
Arizona’s law using state and local police to determine immigration status has become a national political issue, and the court hearing came a day before the US voted in elections expected to sharply diminish the congressional support of US President Barack Obama, whose administration sued to stop the law.
The three-judge panel considering whether to let a temporary hold on the law stand while the constitutionality of the statute is weighed showed skepticism toward arguments from both sides, and asked questions that could open the way to allowing parts of the law to go into effect.
A federal district judge in July put on hold key components of the state law known as SB 1070, arguing immigration matters are the federal government’s responsibility, but Arizona insists it should be able to proceed while the appeals battle in higher courts takes place, leading to the Monday hearing.
“There’s no reason why Arizona should stand by and suffer the consequences of a broken system, when [it] has 15,000 well-trained peace officers that Washington authorities aren’t allowing to help fix the system. That’s what Arizona wants to do,” John Bouma, representing the state, told the panel.
The Obama administration’s attorney said Arizona — which under the law would require police in the course of a lawful stop to determine the status of anyone they suspect is in the country illegally — usurped federal responsibility.
A majority of Americans favor the Arizona statute, polls show, but opinions are sharply divided on the law and what to do about some 11 million illegal immigrants in the country.
“If we were to interpret the statute in a way that is constitutional, would Arizona be bound by our interpretation?” asked US Senior Ninth Circuit Judge John Noonan.
“Yes” responded Bouma.
Noonan later questioned US Deputy Solicitor General Edwin Kneedler on his argument the law pre-empted federal rights.
“You keep saying there is a problem that a state officer is told to do something. That’s not a matter of pre-emption,” Noonan said.
However, judges also were skeptical of enforcement of a part of the law barring work by illegal aliens, saying federal rules avoid punishing employees while their immigration status is determined.
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer told reporters after the hearing that she believed a decision could come as soon as a couple of weeks, although that would be quick for the appeals court.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
A top Vietnamese property tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to death in one of the biggest corruption cases in history, with an estimated US$27 billion in damages. A panel of three hand-picked jurors and two judges rejected all defense arguments by Truong My Lan, chair of major developer Van Thinh Phat, who was found guilty of swindling cash from Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) over a decade. “The defendant’s actions ... eroded people’s trust in the leadership of the [Communist] Party and state,” read the verdict at the trial in Ho Chi Minh City. After the five-week trial, 85 others were also sentenced on
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of