Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas On Today’s Illegal Immigration Ruling

PHOENIX, ARIZONA. July 28, 2010.  Former Maricopa County Attorney and current Attorney General candidate Andrew Thomas issued the following statement in regard to today’s court decision on Arizona’s SB 1070 legislation.
 
“Judge Bolton’s decision to largely eliminate a key tool in our fight against illegal immigration was wrong and must be vigorously appealed.  As Attorney General I will fight for SB 1070 all the way to our top courts, just as I have done with other measures to reduce crime and illegal immigration.” 
 
Thomas has been endorsed by notable Arizona law enforcement leaders including Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Yavapai County Sheriff Steve Waugh, Mohave County Attorney Matthew Smith, Mohave County Sheriff Tom Sheahan, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu, Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever, Phoenix Law Enforcement Association, Arizona Police Association and former Arizona Attorney General and NRA President Bob Corbin.  Former Arizona State Senator Jonathan Paton and Arizona Right to Life endorsed Thomas as well.
 
During Thomas' time in office, crime rates plummeted.  The 19 percent drop is more than twice the national rate of decline, in despite of an 11 percent increase in the county's population during that time.  The illegal immigrant population has dropped by anywhere from 18 percent (Dept. of Homeland Security estimate) to 30 percent (Center for Immigration Studies estimate). Like the fall in crime rates, this dramatic decline in illegal immigration is far greater than the average in the rest of the nation. 
 
Thomas has a track record of successfully defending illegal immigration crackdowns in our courts, including his successful efforts to prosecute illegal immigrants for conspiring to violate the state's human-smuggling law and to defend Prop 200's voter ID requirements and the employer-sanctions law, which he defended along with the Attorney General's Office.
 
If elected Attorney General Thomas has pledged to expand that office's prosecutions of illegal immigrants under the state's human smuggling laws. The office is not currently pursuing such prosecutions.
 
Thomas is married with four children.  He is a graduate of Harvard Law School.  Prior to serving as Maricopa County Attorney, Thomas served as an assistant attorney general for Arizona, deputy counsel and criminal justice policy advisor to the Governor, special assistant to the Director of the Arizona Department of Corrections, and a deputy county attorney.   
 
For more information about Andrew Thomas, please go to  www.ThomasforArizona.com.
  


PAID FOR BY THOMAS FOR AG

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