State Legislators for Legal Immigration Files Amicus Brief To Stand with Arizona
HARRISBURG —Pennsylvania State Representative and State Legislators for Legal Immigration (SLLI) Founder, Daryl Metcalfe, recently announced the filing of an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the state of Arizona and Senate Bill 1070. The brief was signed by coalition members in 20 states who strongly believe that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision should be reversed and hold firm that Senate Bill 1070 is not preempted by federal law.
“It is beyond unconscionable for the Obama administration to launch a taxpayer-funded lawsuit against the state of Arizona for passing a common sense law,” said Metcalfe. “Article 4, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution unequivocally states that our government: ‘shall guarantee to every state in this Union a Republican form of government and shall protect each of them against invasion.’”
The amicus brief highlights the importance of dual sovereignty between the states and the federal government, including:
• Reiterating the principles of federalism and the concept that states
created the federal government and not vice versa;
• The right of individual states to authorize state and local law enforcement officers
to cooperate and communicate with the federal government regarding the
enforcement of federal immigration law;
• And, the right of individual states to end the economic incentives that draw illegal
aliens within their borders: stolen jobs, stolen benefits and stolen citizenship.
“It is clear that the federal government is failing to effectively control and regulate the inflow of unlawfully present aliens within our respective states,” said Rhode Island State Senator Marc Cote. “As state legislators, it is critical that we protect the interests of our citizens and lawfully present aliens by reinforcing each state’s authority to assist federal officials in the effective enforcement of our country’s immigration laws.”
SLLI’s amicus brief was filed on behalf of the state of Arizona, the Arizona State Legislature and Governor Jan Brewer with the assistance of Judicial Watch (
JudicialWatch.org). Cilck
here to view the amicus brief in its entirety or for more information, visit
StateLegislatorsforLegalImmigration.com.
State Representative Daryl Metcalfe
12th District, Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Contact: Ty McCauslin
tmccausl@pahousegop.com
717.772.9979