Arizona Governor Brewer: We Want Our Borders Secure

from Newsmax:

Arizona's Brewer: 'We Want Our Borders Secure'


Sunday, 26 Sep 2010 06:09 PM Article Font Size

By: Dan Weil



The challenge to a federal district court’s temporary injunction against parts of Arizona’s tough new immigration law should succeed, says Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, who’s leading the charge to overturn the ruling.



“I feel confident we’re on the right track,” she told Newsmax.TV. “I believe the law is constitutional, and we’ll take it all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary.”



Brewer is encouraged by the support her effort has received from citizens around the country, both verbally and financially. Thanks to donations made by ordinary citizens through keepazsafe.com, the legal fund to fight the ruling has $3.7 million, she says.



“We want our borders secure, and we want to stop the flow of illegal immigrants. I can’t say enough about the citizens throughout America who have come and supported us.”



The federal government has given Arizona little help in securing its borders, Brewer says. “They’ve done a pretty good job securing the borders in California and Texas, but in Arizona, they’ve just left us wide open,” she said.



In the Tucson area, citizens are confronted with illegal immigrants and drug cartels coming across the border on a daily basis, Brewer says. “The big concern is the violence south of the border spilling into Arizona,” she said.



Citizens are living in fear. “Until they feel comfortable that they can go out and get their mail and walk their land, our borders aren’t secure,” Brewer said.



“We know drug cartels have established themselves in over 100 cities across America, but we seem to be the gateway. It’s their [the federal government’s] job to secure our borders.”



Brewer is very upset with the federal government for putting signs up on a highway between Tucson and Phoenix warning that it’s unsafe because of drug crimes and illegal aliens.



“That the federal government would come 30 miles south of Phoenix and say travel at your own risk (because) it’s dangerous, that’s not protection, that’s surrender,” Brewer said.



“We don’t want those signs in our wildlife refuges or desert areas. They know we have a problem. They’re just not doing their job.”



As for the DREAM (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act) Democrats are pushing in Congress to open the path to citizenship for students who are illegal immigrants, it would mean that a lot of illegal immigrants would become citizens, Brewer says.



“It’s not something I want to deal with. I’m on a mission to get our borders secure now. I want illegal immigration to be stopped, and I think the American people agree with me.”



Brewer is impressed that the Republicans’ ‘Pledge to America’ promises to help states enforce their immigration laws. “We need all the help we can get at the federal level,” she said.



The governor is disgusted with unions that have urged people to boycott Arizona. The unions also have said they seek to bring in illegal immigrants and register them to vote to help Democrats get elected, Brewer says.



“It’s absolutely wrong, and we won’t back off that either.”



She now has a double-digit lead in her re-election contest against Democrat Terry Goddard. Her strong immigration stance partly explains the lead, Brewer says. “I think that’s the number one priority for a lot of people in Arizona, and they want someone who can fight for them.”



On another issue, Brewer blasts Obamacare, saying it will blow a $1 billion hole in Arizona’s $8 billion budget. “We simply don’t have the money,” she said.



“The federal government needs to do their job, and let us at the state level do our job. We know better than the federal government what the people of Arizona need.”





© Newsmax. All rights reserved.