Gov. Vetoes Crackdown on Illegal Immigrants

Gov. Janet Napolitano vetoed a bill that would have drawn Arizona deeper into the fight against illegal immigration by making it a crime for illegal immigrants to be in the state.

The vetoed bill also would have taken a tougher approach toward employers who hire illegal immigrants, provided money for local police to arrest immigrants and expanded the list of government benefits denied to immigrants.

“It offers no constructive new ideas and instead is filled with unworkable or unconstitutional provisions that I have previously objected to or vetoed,” Napolitano wrote in a letter to lawmakers.

It was the first-term governor’s 115th veto, a record for Arizona. The GOP-dominated Legislature has yet to override any of the Democratic governor’s vetoes.