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The US government has filed a lawsuit against the state of Arizona to block the passage of immigration law SB 1070. The suit, which was filed in federal court on Tuesday, argues that the law interferes with the federal government’s authority to set immigration policy. The Arizona law makes it illegal for immigrants not to carry immigration documents, and requires local police to determine the immigration status of anyone suspected of entering the state illegally. SB 1070 diverges from the law enforcement priorities of the federal government which is more focused on tracking immigrants who pose threats to public safety, terrorism suspects, and those with criminal records. According to the US Department of Justice which views SB 1070 as unconstitutional, “A patchwork of state and local policies would seriously disrupt federal immigration enforcement.” The lawsuit comes at a time when various cities and organizations have banded together to boycott Arizona until the law is lifted. Recently civil and immigrant rights groups protested SB 1070 at the headquarters of professional baseball in New York in hopes of getting next year’s All-Star Game moved out of Arizona. Alternatively, politicians in support of the law have begun speaking out against the federal lawsuit, making numerous claims that it proves the Obama administration is not committed to border safety and that the Arizona law would actually help to enforce federal immigration policies.

GUEST: Manuel Perez Rocha, Associate fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies