Wednesday, July 07, 2010

Franks: Obama Administration's Arizona Lawsuit "Beyond Shameful"


For Immediate Release
Contact: Bethany Haley or Ben Carnes at 202-225-4576

Franks: Obama Administration's Arizona Lawsuit is "Beyond Shameful"

July 6, 2010 - Congressman Trent Franks (R - AZ) today released the following statement in light of the Obama Administration's announcement that it would sue the State of Arizona for its recent immigration law, SB 1070:

"The president himself has spoken falsely about SB 1070
and has deliberately mischaracterized it to the American people. Now those charges he falsely levied against SB 1070 are glaringly absent from his lawsuit against the bill.


"It is beyond ironic that the main claim in the lawsuit is that Arizona is wrongly preempting a federal responsibility when the entire reason the legislation was necessary in the first place was precisely because the federal government was simply not living up to its responsibility.

"Today's announcement makes it clear that we were better off when the Obama Administration simply refused to do anything about our porous borders, because now that the President has finally decided to act, his first move is to sue Arizona for having the audacity to protect its citizens and secure its borders.

"This lawsuit is also beyond shameful and by seeking to block SB 1070, Arizona's necessary and otherwise completely constitutional immigration law, the Obama Administration is literally now attempting to use litigation to force our state to have weaker borders and to turn a blind eye to dangerous criminals who are here illegally.

"Many drug smugglers, human traffickers, and immigrants from terror-sponsoring nations illegally enter Arizona every day. Despite the incredible national security risk such an uncontrolled border poses, not to mention the overwhelming burden it places on the state of Arizona, President Obama still somehow fails to grasp the seriousness of the problem, and his dangerously misguided policies continue to put every person in America at risk."

Congressman Franks is serving his fourth term in the U.S. House of Representatives, and is a member of the Committee on Armed Services, Strategic Forces Subcommittee, Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee, Military Readiness Subcommittee, Committee on the Judiciary, Constitution Subcommittee, and is Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law.

1 comment:

Benito said...

I hope that every American, regardless of where he lives, will stop and examine his conscience about this and other related incidents. This Nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened. All of us ought to have the right to be treated as he would wish to be treated, as one would wish his children to be treated, but this is not the case.

I know the proponents of this law say that the majority approves of this law, but the majority is not always right. Would women or non-whites have the vote if we listen to the majority of the day, would the non-whites have equal rights (and equal access to churches, housing, restaurants, hotels, retail stores, schools, colleges and yes water fountains) if we listen to the majority of the day? We all know the answer, a resounding, NO!

Today we are committed to a worldwide struggle to promote and protect the rights of all who wish to be free. In a time of domestic crisis men of good will and generosity should be able to unite regardless of party or politics and do what is right, not what is just popular with the majority. Some men comprehend discrimination by never have experiencing it in their lives, but the majority will only understand after it happens to them.