Monday, December 10, 2007
County Attorney To Defend Employer Sanctions Law
Office Prepares to Enforce Law Starting January 1, 2008
Now that a second lawsuit has been filed in federal court challenging Arizona’s employer-sanctions law, including as defendants all county attorneys in Arizona, County Attorney Andrew Thomas is pledging to defend the new law in federal court. Thomas’s office also is preparing to begin enforcement of the law next year barring a federal or state court order that prohibits such action.
On December 7, 2007, Judge Neil Wake of the United States District Court in Phoenix dismissed a lawsuit challenging the Legal Arizona Workers Act. In the court’s ruling, Judge Wake stated that the plaintiffs had sued the wrong parties and would have had standing had they included as defendants the county attorneys of Arizona. Under the new law, county attorneys are the law enforcement officials charged with bringing enforcement actions against companies that allegedly are in violation.
The plaintiffs now have filed a new lawsuit against the 15 county attorneys in the state. Thomas is promising to defend the law once his office is served with the new complaint. Thomas stated, “Until a court rules otherwise, Arizona’s employer-sanctions statute is the law of the land. I intend to fully and fairly enforce it.” He added he would follow a two-pronged approach to enforcement: defending the law in federal court while enforcing the law come January.
The County Attorney’s Office announced in September it has entered into an intergovernmental agreement with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office for enforcement of the employer-sanctions law. Under the agreement, sheriff’s personnel will take the lead in investigations of employers allegedly in violation of the law. Thomas stated that he will provide further details in the coming days about preparations for enforcement of the Legal Arizona Workers Act. He will also provide information at that time to assist Maricopa County businesses in complying with the new law.
For more information contact: Mike Anthony Scerbo, Public Information Officer (602) 506-3170 (office) or (602) 489-6913 (cell)
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2 comments:
I agree with this new law and the comments of federal Judge Neil Wake, who said any delay in implementing the law which allows suspension or revocation of state licenses of companies that knowingly hire undocumented workers would harm the state and, in particular, legal Arizona residents.
"Those who suffer the most from unauthorized alien labor are those whom federal and Arizona law most explicitly protect,'' Wake said.
"They are the competing lawful workers, many unskilled, low-wage, sometimes near or under the margin of poverty, who strain in individual competition and in a wage economy depressed by the great and expanding number of people who will work for less,'' the judge continued.
It's against the law for employers to knowingly hire illegalaliens. It's REASONABLE to expect employers to verify social security numbers of employees.
The only employees walking off their jobs, are illegal aliens and they SHOULD be denied employment, since it is against the law.
I want the federal version of this law passed. Call your elected representatives and ask them to co-sponsor the SAVE Act. The House bill HR4088 already has 131 co-sponsors, but needs more. The Senate version S2368 has only three.
Illegal aliens do not have a legal standing to question a state or federal law. Employers should do all that is possible to comply with the laws of AZ and the nation. It's their civic responsibility.
Help take our country back. Support the AZ Sanctions Law and ask your U.S. Congressmen to co-sponsor the SAVE Act.
Undocumented workers are just here to support their families. What's so wrong with that? Illegal aliens are hard working people, there not the ones on the streets or in the park all past out.There not the ones on the side of the freeways or outside of stores asking for money. You won't see a mexican out asking for money.
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