Arizona Court Ignores Public Interest in Decision that Undermines Voters' Intent and Will

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Oct 15, 2014, 04:20 ET

WASHINGTON, Oct. 15, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), the nation's leading advocacy group for immigration reform that protects the interests of American workers and taxpayers, issued the following statement in response to today's court decision in Arizona:

"Today the 9^th Circuit Federal Court of Appeals struck down a voter approved amendment to the Arizona Constitution that required the state to detain illegal aliens accused of serious felonies until trial. The case is Lopez-Valenzuela v. Arpaio, and once again the ACLU has successfully used a class action lawsuit to undermine legitimate efforts to ensure illegal immigration is deterred.

"The amendment passed with 78 percent of the vote in 2006. This was a strong indication of voter interest in 1) ensuring illegal aliens who commit felonies show up for trial, and 2) ensuring that people with no right to be in the country do not flee before deportation. The court used a questionable legal concept known as "substantive due process" to strike down the constitutional amendment. "Substantive due process" has become nothing more than an arbitrary vehicle by which a court is allowed to substitute its political judgment for that of the voters (or legislators as the case may be).

"Once again, the judiciary has intervened to ensure illegal immigration continues unabated and the community is unprotected. The people have come to expect this endless legislating from the bench. There was a time when courts were very respectful of voter-approved state constitutional changes; a court would be loathe to strike down any law enacted by direct citizen participation. The three judge panel that initially reviewed the case did just that. But, as we all now know, the ACLU will never give up until it destroys all remaining U.S. immigration controls. It sought an en-banc review and achieved this victory at the expense of community safety and the integrity of our criminal justice system."

Read the decision here:
http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2014/10/15/11-16487.pdf

About FAIR

Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country's largest immigration reform group. With over 250,000 members nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests. FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced.

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