Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano agreed that Arizona's law to get tough on immigration is the wrong way to get local police involved in enforcement and she recalled the district court ruling in July which said "we cannot have 50 different immigration enforcement teams across the country." Arizona is appealing the judge's ruling.
Napolitano, the former governor of Arizona, said in a Denver speech that there are better ways to involve local law enforcement in fighting illegal immigration, including the federal Secure Communities program that has been implemented in several hundred jurisdictions nationwide. Immigrant advocates across the country have criticized the fingerprint-sharing program as too broad.
The issue is now before the voters of Arizona, as Jan Brewer seeks votes in her election bid. Her success or failure will be used by opposing sides as a refereundum on immigration reform.
