Arizona's Gov. Brewer Signs Controversial Immigration Bill

April 23, 2010 — -- Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed a controversial immigration bill into law today that will give local law enforcement greater authority to ferret out and arrest illegal immigrants.

Immediately before signing the bill into law, Brewer said that the legislation "represents another tool for our state to use as we work to solve a crisis that we did not create and that the federal government refuses to fix."

"We in Arizona have been more than patient waiting for Washington to act," Brewer said. "But decades of inaction and misguided policy have created a dangerous and unacceptable situation."

The bill takes effect in 90 days after the current legislative sessions over the next several weeks.

"I firmly believe [the law] represents what's best for Arizona," said Brewer. "Border-related violence and crime due to illegal immigration are critically important issues for the people of our state, to my administration, and to me as your governor and as a citizen."

The signing came just a few hours after President Obama harshly criticized the legislation, calling it "misguided." The president also instructed the Justice Department to examine the Arizona law to see if it would violate civil rights.

Obama criticized the bill at a naturalization ceremony in the White House Rose Garden for active duty service members from 24 countries.

The president said if Congress fails to enact comprehensive immigration reform at the national level, "We will continue to see misguided efforts opening up around the country."

The absence of a federal resolution of the controversial issue, he said, "opens the door to irresponsibility by others," and he cited "the recent efforts in Arizona, which threaten to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans."

So far this year, Congress and the administration have made little progress in advancing legislation on the issue.