[Commentary and link to news story from Rodolfo Espino, professor at Arizona State University].
Napolitano has just vetoed a bill mandating local police to check immigration status:
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/236453.php
Her explanation: this is an unfunded mandate that the state of Arizona cannot afford during tough economic times. Keep in mind this is the same governor that, a couple years ago, declared a state of emergency on Arizona’s border counties (just on the heels of Gov. Richardson doing the same in NM) in order to release federal monies to pay for the overtime of local sheriff’s offices to deal with the influx of immigrants in those counties. Nothing inconsistent here: her veto message today stated that this issue is a federal issue and the federal government has not provided enough funds to support this bill.
Tough issue for the governor to face in Arizona. And tough issue for the voters, too.