Utah lawmaker joins court fight against Arizona immigration law ruling

SALT LAKE CITY — A nationwide group of state legislators, including one Utah lawmaker, have filed a court brief opposing the Obama administration's legal challenge to Arizona's new immigration law.

State Legislators for Legal Immigration submitted Wednesday a friend-of-the-court brief in 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on behalf of the state of Arizona and Gov. Jan Brewer. Signed by a 51 lawmakers in 24 states, including Rep. Stephen Sandstrom, R-Orem, it urges the court to reverse the preliminary injunction granted in July and allow all the provisions of the law to be enforced immediately.

Sandstrom has proposed his own immigration reform bill in Utah. Like the controversial Arizona law, it would require law enforcement officials to ask about the immigration status of people they stop for other violations if they have "reasonable suspicion" that the people are in the country illegally. It also requires the state to ensure people are here legally if they apply for any state benefits.

— Dennis Romboy