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Two Challanges Mounted to State's Immigration Law

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/knau/local-knau-904333.mp3

Phoenix, AZ – One measure seeks to refer SB 1070 to the ballot. Backers would
have to gather more than 76,000 signatures by July 28 to stop it
from taking effect until voters get a chance to weigh in in
November. But Brandon Slayton, who started that petition drive,
appears to have no organization. The other effort takes a
different path: It seeks to create an entirely new law -- but
stripped of everything in SB 1070. Father John Auther of St.
Francis Xavier church in Phoenix said the problem with Slayton's
alternative is if voters ratify the immigration law in November,
it gets constitutional protection against legislative alteration
or repeal. A defeat for his plan carries no such burden. But the
trade-off is that Auther needs more than 153,000 signatures by
July 1. He conceded that while he filed the paperwork, it may be
too late for what is the idea of a prayer group.

(Until the initiative was submitted to the secretary of state,
it's hard to get people to sign on to something that might
happen. So we're hoping that now that it's in, if people look at
it then they'll be able to decide whether or not they're willing
to help us come up with all the signatures.)

The law, set to take effect July 29, requires police to check the
immigration status of those they stop if there is reasonable
suspicion they are in the country illegally. For Arizona Public
Radio this is Howard Fischer.