On July 6, the federal government announced it was suing the State of Arizona over its Senate Bill 1070, due to go into effect July 29. This bill is part of Arizona’s efforts to defend itself against the illegal immigration pouring over its southern border shared with Mexico, and the multitude of problems and dangers this has ensued both locally and nationally.
In the wake of the government’s announcement, a defense fund originally set up through executive order by Gov. Jan Brewer on May 26 immediately began amassing thousands of dollars from concerned parties of all 50 states, plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. The total donated as of Thursday morning was about $500,000, with $330,000 arriving between July 6-8 alone; 7,008 of the 9,057 total online contributions since May were also made during this time period, with an estimated 88 percent of the fund’s total donations coming from these online contributors. Generally, the contributions were small, from between $5 to $2,000, and many of those donating were retirees. One concerned contributor, Mary Ann Rohde from Rialto, California, stated, “Arizona needs our help. It’s a disgrace what our government is doing.” She and her husband donated $20. According to the Associated Press:
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It’s unclear what the state’s legal costs will be in defending the law. Snell & Wilmer, the Phoenix-based law firm representing the state in the pending challenges, told a federal judge Wednesday that its lawyers were working late into the evening to respond to all the filings in the cases.
Citing the crush of filings in the case, U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton has imposed limits on the size of so-called “friend of the court” briefs filed by groups in support or opposition to the law.
Brewer hired the private lawyers to represent the state even before the Democratic attorney general, Terry Goddard, agreed to Brewer’s demand to withdraw from the state’s defense. He had opposed the legislation but said he was willing to do his duty to defend the state law.
The attorney fees are estimated to be about $450 per hour. And though Goddard, who is also a candidate for Governor, “said the law as finally amended was legally defensible,” he did eventually step down in order to avoid undertaking a separate court battle with Governor Brewer. There were concerns among Arizona state lawmakers that Goddard would not support S.B. 1070 well, and they therefore gave Brewer authority to move ahead with spearheading its defense.
An article in the Herald of Sierra Vista, Arizona, commented, “If the pace of donations are an indication, the decision Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Justice to file its own lawsuit has resulted in an outpouring of support for Brewer.” It added that after the $100,000 sent in by Arizona’s own citizens, the second and third largest contributions as of Thursday were from California and Texas.
One contributor from Georgia sent $20 to help Arizona defend its new immigration law, “Because our president is stupid.” There indeed is concern and anger throughout the country about the President’s approach to border security and the defense of the United States. The intentions of he and his administration are under considerable question.
Governor Jan Brewer: AP Images
