Jan Brewer, Obama Have A “Cordial” Chat About SB1070

By Julianne Hing Jun 03, 2010

UPDATE 6:30pm ET In her post-meeting press conference, Jan Brewer commented on the ongoing boycott efforts against Arizona. "At this point in time, I don’t think we have felt any of that impact," she said. Not according to Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, a vocal opponent of SB1070 who has said that boycott efforts have led his city to "near economic crisis," and projected that at the current rate of hotel and conference cancellations, the metro area stands to lose of $90 million over the next five years. Economic impact or not, it’s impossible–even for Brewer–to ignore the collective disapproval of more than a dozen localities around the country who’ve passed boycott resolutions against Arizona since SB1070 became law. ……………………….. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer met with President Obama today for a half-hour meeting about immigration issues in her state. Brewer spoke to reporters after the meeting was over and said that the two promised to work together on a solution for immigration and border security issues. She said that Obama promised that much of the extra money and 1,200 National Guard troops he is sending to the border will be headed to Arizona. In late April, Brewer signed SB1070 into law, empowering law enforcement officers to stop and question someone about their immigration status if the officer had "reasonable suspicion" to believe the person was in the country without papers. President Obama has called SB 1070 "misguided" and discriminatory, most recently in front of the Mexican president, Felipe Calderon. The Department of Justice has announced tentative plans to challenge Arizona’s new law, but to date, President Obama has taken no action to remove much of the federal immigration policy like 287(g) programs and Secure Communities that leads to similar outcomes as SB1070 would. Outside the White House, about 200 protesters gathered to let Brewer know they weren’t going to stand her brand of immigration policy, with a banner that called for immigration reform instead of "a police state." Others held signs that read: "I don’t like what Janet’s brewing." Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

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