WASHINGTON (AP) — A prominent Senate Democrat is asking Republican Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer to put off her state's controversial new immigration law for a year — a long shot request.
The idea is to hold off until Congress can try to pass broad new federal policies that would put millions of illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship.
New York Sen. Chuck Schumer asked Brewer to delay the law that would make it a state crime to be in the U.S. illegally and direct police to question people about their immigration status.
The law is slated to take effect July 29, and Brewer has no authority to delay its start without calling the legislature back into session — something her spokesman says she's unwilling to do.
As a candidate, President Barack Obama promised to reform immigration policy. But last week he said what lawmakers of both parties have acknowledged: Such a bill is highly unlikely to pass during this election year.
Still, at a Cinco de Mayo celebration Wednesday at the White House, Obama said he wanted to start work on immigration legislation this year. On Thursday, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs sounded a more pessimistic note. "There's not enough support to move forward," Gibbs said, citing a lack of Republican backing.
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