Private donors have given $20K to help Ariz. governor fight lawsuits targeting immigration law

Donors give $20K to help defend AZ immigration law

PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer’s office has received nearly $20,000 in private donations to help the state mount a legal defense against lawsuits related to its tough new immigration law.

Nearly 440 people in 46 states and the District of Columbia have contributed to the fund. According to a list of donors provided to The Arizona Republic newspaper, the smallest contribution is $1 and the largest is $750.

Brewer announced last month that she had hired private counsel to represent her in the federal lawsuits pending against the state. She is named as a defendant in four of the five cases.

Arizona’s new immigration law is scheduled to take effect July 29. It requires police, while enforcing other laws, to question a person’s immigration status if officers have a reasonable suspicion that the person is in the country illegally.

Information from: The Arizona Republic, www.azcentral.com

(This version CORRECTS Corrects date when law would take effect to July 29. sted 28. APNewsNow.)