Sarah Palin Blames Obama for Arizona's Anti-Immigration Law

Sarah Palin has found a new villain in the anti-immigration battle burning in Arizona: President Obama.

The ex-Alaskan governor has placed the blame for the state's tough, widely criticized effort to combat illegal immigration on the White House.

"It's time for Americans across this great country to stand up and say 'We're all Arizonans now and, in clear unity, we say, 'Mr. President, do your job, secure our border,'" Palin said, standing with Gov. Jan Brewer in Phoenix on Saturday.

The event was designed to kick off securetheborder.org, a Web site that Gov. Brewer hoped would combat the negative press she and the law have gotten.

"Our purpose today is to help the rest of the nation understand the crisis which confronts our state," Brewer said, citing the presence of human and drug smugglers as a reason to get tough on illegal immigration.

The controversial law takes effect July 29, unless blocked by pending court challenges. It requires police enforcing another law to ask a person about his or her immigration status if there's "reasonable suspicion" that the person is in the country illegally. Being in the country illegally would become a state crime.

Critics fear it would demand racial profiling to enforce, which would unfairly target the state's Hispanic population. Politicians and organizations throughout the country have slammed the law, including President Obama, who called it "misguided."

Backlash from Arizona's law could also cost the Phoenix area at least $90 million in revenue. Four major events have been canceled and others are on the brink, as calls for a boycott grow louder.

The Austin City Council voted unanimously last week to sever all city business and travel ties with Arizona. They have been joined by other cities such as Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, St. Paul, Minn., West Hollywood, Fla., El Paso, and Boulder, Colo.

Source: NY Daily News

Kevin Eason is a freelance editorial cartoonist and Illustrator from New Jersey. His brand of satire covers news events in politics, entertainment, sports and much more.