By Ann Kaiser
The two candidates running for the 9th Congressional district seat in Virginia have found something they can agree on: the controversial Arizona law aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration.
U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher, the Democrat incumbent, and state Del. Morgan Griffith, the Republican challenger, both oppose the federal government’s decision to file a lawsuit against the state to prevent the law from taking effect.
In a recent letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Boucher expressed his “strong opposition to file suit in United States District Court against the State of Arizona challenging the validity of the Arizona state law which empowers law enforcement officials from within the state to determine the immigration status of individuals who are stopped by the police for other reasons."
“In my view, the Arizona statute is entirely appropriate, and the federal government should take no steps to prevent the implementation. I very much regret [Attorney General Holder’s] decision in this matter and encourage [him] to seek the dismissal of the lawsuit that is now pending,” Boucher said in the letter.
Following a vicious political fight over the bill, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, a Republican, signed it into law in April. Since then, the law has become campaign fodder for Democrats and Republicans in congressional races across the country. Meanwhile, some polls, including one from the Pew Center for the People and the Press, found that 59 percent of the public support the legislation, while 32 percent oppose it.
The issue is pertinent in Virginia and in the 9th District, where Boucher is squaring off against Griffith, the majority leader in the Virginia House of Delegates.
On Wednesday, Griffith told Virginia Statehouse News that he agreed with the Democrat’s position, but he also suggested that the incumbent’s support is too little, too late.
“Anybody who’s taken a look at this knows the federal government had failed over 30 years in coming up with an immigration policy that has protected our borders — Robert Boucher has been a part of the problem, but at least he is taking a position to help to make changes,” he said.
The 9th District incumbent in a press release this week repeated his criticism of the Department of Justice's opposition to the Arizona law, which would require immigrants to carry legal identification and allow police to check the ID of suspected individuals at routine traffic stops.
“Unfortunately, the US Department of Justice is now challenging the constitutionality of the Arizona law in federal court. I am strongly opposed to this lawsuit, and I have expressed to the Attorney General a formal request that the lawsuit be withdrawn,” Boucher stated in the release.
Attorneys general from nine states, including Virginia, have filed briefs in support of the Arizona law.
The DOJ maintains that the law gives Arizona power that infringes on the duties of the federal government. The department on Thursday will seek a preliminary injunction against implementation of the law, which is set to go into effect July 29.
“Arizonans are understandably frustrated with illegal immigration, and the federal government has a responsibility to comprehensively address those concerns,” Holder recently said. “But diverting federal resources away from dangerous aliens such as terrorism suspects and aliens with criminal records will impact the entire country’s safety.”
During the past few years, state legislatures have increasingly turned the spotlight on illegal immigration. Since 2006, 5,000 bills have been introduced, 752 laws enacted, and 257 resolutions have been adopted across the nation, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Griffith expects the trend to continue. “Many of us stand with Arizona in saying to the federal government: if you don’t protect citizens, then the state will,” he said.
