The Department of Justice announced Tuesday it is suing Arizona over its controversial immigration law, saying it conflicts with federal statutes.
In its complaint, the department said that it is seeking a preliminary injunction that would delay the July 29 implementation of the law pending the result of the case. The federal government is also seeking to quash the law on a permanent basis.
The government's court complaint claims the law threatens the federal government's responsibility to create immigration policy, saying that it is an attempt to create "local" immigration standards.
"Although states may exercise their police power in a manner that has an incidental or indirect effect on aliens, a state may not establish its own immigration policy or enforce state laws in a manner that interferes with the federal immigration laws," the complaint reads. "The Constitution and the federal immigration laws do not permit the development of a patchwork of state and local immigration policies throughout the country." |