ICE Chief: States shouldn't follow Arizona's lead

By Dena Potter, Associated Press Writer

RICHMOND, Va. – (AP) The head of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says Virginia and other states should not follow Arizona's lead and enact strict new immigration laws because ridding the country of illegal immigrants is the federal government's job.

ICE director John Morton told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he understands states' frustrations dealing with illegal immigrants, but that a patchwork of 50 different state laws isn't the answer.

Arizona recently enacted a law that requires police to investigate the immigration status of those they suspect of being in the country illegally. There have been calls for similar laws in Virginia and elsewhere.

The federal government has sued Arizona over the law, something that brought criticism from Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli.

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O'Malley Discusses Immigration And Economy

By Brian Witte, Associated Press Writer

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) Gov. Martin O'Malley said Monday he believes job creation should be the focus of the next four months leading up to elections, but the governor said he respects the Obama administration's decision to sue Arizona over its immigration law.

O'Malley, a Democrat, spoke to reporters about a Justice Department lawsuit against Arizona's law, which came up during a meeting of the National Governors Association over the weekend in Boston.

"It would be great if we could focus entirely on jobs and job creation for the duration for these next four months, but that's not the way the world works, and so the president had to act because of events that he did not put into motion," O'Malley told reporters.

O'Malley said there will inevitably be events that the president will have to address in addition to the importance of creating jobs.

"I think all of us, notwithstanding those events that arise, need to stay focused on that issue which is on the forefront of the minds of every mom and dad in our state: and that is the security of their job, the security of their home and their family's future, and that's what we need to do in order to move forward," O'Malley said.

The Obama administration sued Arizona last week over its immigration law, contending that the state is impinging on federal responsibilities for dealing with immigration. The Arizona law requires police to question a person's immigration status, while enforcing other laws, if there is reasonable suspicion that the person is in the country illegally. It also requires legal immigrants to carry their immigration documents.

O'Malley doesn't support the Arizona law, because it puts immigration reform at the state level when it should be handled at the federal level, O'Malley's spokesman, Shaun Adamec, said.

Republican Robert Ehrlich, O'Malley's opponent in Maryland's governor's race, said he supports Arizona's law, because the federal government has repeatedly failed to address the issue, forcing Arizona to take action on its own.

"It's an issue that both parties have failed to remedy at the federal level," Ehrlich said in a telephone interview.

On Sunday, the National Governors Association announced that O'Malley will co-chair the association's homeland security public safety committee with Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, a Republican who signed the state's immigration law in April. O'Malley also was co-chair of the homeland security committee last year.