Washington D.C.-- Today, U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Bolton issued a temporary restraining order against Arizona's controversial anti-immigrant law SB1070. The decision was made based on the grounds that the U.S. Constitution requires our nation to have a unified immigration policy regulated by the federal government--not a 50 state patchwork of conflicting, state laws. In response to the decision, SEIU Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina issued the following statement:

"Today, the Court sent out a sharp message to Congress: get to work and fix our broken immigration system where it must be fixed--in the federal government.

"The Court's decision reminds us, once again, that America is a nation of laws; that the politics of the moment will not overpower the sensible laws written by our forefathers; and that in America, opportunistic state politicians do not have free rein to violate our most basic Constitutional rights.

"Yet, before we let the dust settle on today's victory for millions of Arizonans, let's remember how we got here in the first place: America wants our immigration problems solved. If we have learned anything from Arizona, it is that Americans are tired of Congress's continued failure to pass smart, sensible solutions that replace chaos with order, restore the rule of law, and end illegal immigration once and for all.

"Despite America's demand for immigration solutions, one party is dead set on putting politics ahead of progress. Over the past months, the so called immigration 'solutions' that Republicans have suggested include micro chipping illegal immigrants, putting landmines on the border, ending birthright citizenship, and using their "sixth sense" to spot illegal immigrants by the clothes and shoes they wear. This extreme, divisive rhetoric is not what Americans want; they want action, and they want federal action.

"It's time for Republicans--especially Senators John McCain and Jon Kyl in Arizona--to stop playing political games and join Democrats to push the bipartisan immigration solutions that Americans demand. In the meantime, SEIU urges the Court to move forward and put a final end to this law so we can get on with the critical work ahead to find a real, federal solution."

For more information or to receive a copy of SEIU's federal class action lawsuit against SB1070, contact Krysta.Curl@seiu.org. To learn more about SEIU's work to pass to stop SB1070 and instead pass smart, workable immigration solutions, go to www.ItStopsInArizona.com.

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