Although Arizona is the target of people and groups who say the state’s soon-to-be-enacted immigration law is wrong, Republican Gov. Jan Brewer said, “I believe they are getting misinformation.”

And, the incorrect information is coming from all levels, including the federal government, the Mexican government and groups who say they are protecting the rights of people who fear Senate Bill 1070 will lead to racial profiling, Brewer said Sunday.

“We have a huge population that are illegal,” she said after arriving the Sierra Vista Municipal Airport. Brewer was one of the speakers at the annual Sierra Vista Fourth of July noon ceremony at Veterans’ Memorial Park.

The specter of the law, which calls upon law enforcement agencies to question a person’s status in the nation if there is some suspicion after a person is being questioned about another potential criminal incident, is seen by many as a violation of a person’s civil rights, the governor said.

But a person’s civil rights are protected by the bill, which goes into effect on July 29, she added.

A number of legal scholars, whom she did not name, have looked at the law and say there is no racial profiling or civil rights violations, Brewer said.

While there are five lawsuits against the state because of the law, she said, she wonders when, or if, the administration of Democratic President Barack Obama is going to file one against Arizona.

As for the suits, the governor said it is good they are all being consolidated by a federal judge, since the main contentions in each of them are similar when it comes to the new state law.

However, Brewer said she is disappointed the Mexican government will have standing and be allowed to file a friend of the court brief stating the law will harm its nation’s citizens in Arizona.

She said it is beyond reason for a foreign government to interfere in another country’s legal system, although the governor noted it has happened.

The Mexican federal government is not the only entity in that nation to complain, Brewer said.

Mexican border state governors have, too, and one of them is the governor of the state of Sonora, Guillermo Padr�©s Elias, who has personally expressed his displease to the Arizona governor. Arizona and Sonora share a border.

On the other hand, a number of American governors, all Republicans, have called her expressing support, said Brewer, who declined to name them.

And, there are many citizens in the United States who believe the state is doing the right thing and have said so, the governor added.

Also, 20 states have expressed an interest in adopting a similar law, which to Brewer means Arizona is not off the mark in trying to ensure its citizens are protected from the actions of illegal activities which cross the border into the state from Mexico.

For years, the U.S. government has been saying it will address the border security and immigration, going back most recently to 1986, when the late Republican President Ronald Reagan signed what was supposed to be a comprehensive immigration law, Brewer said.

Saying Reagan “is one of my idols,” the governor said the 1986 law had amnesty and required actions to address other immigration issues, such as a better way for people to legally come into the United States, but unfortunately the reforms were not addressed.

Now, another comprehensive immigration reform bill is seen as needed, which is not true, she said.

Without a secure border, any other changes to the U.S. immigration system will be meaningless, Brewer said.

Besides, a secure border will not only help Arizona, the other U.S. border states and the nation as a whole, but will help address the troubling turmoil happening in Mexico, where drug cartels seem to have more power than the government of that nation, the governor said.

With a secured border, the movement of money and weapons into Mexico will be constrained and the movement of illegal drugs and immigrants north will also be highly reduced, she said.

About a recent statement she made, Brewer said the majority of illegal immigrants coming into the United States also are bringing in drugs as a way to pay for their movement north.

The governor re-emphasized her statement, saying the truth is the drug cartels now control the majority of movement of illegal immigrants, and that means the human smuggling traffic also involves transporting drugs.

Border security will ensure the illegal flow north-to-south and south-to-north will be highly impeded, Brewer said.

“I believe the majority want our border secured,” she said.

Because the federal government now and in the past has been hesitant to address the problem, Arizona had to take on the issue, and as for her signing of SB 1070, Brewer said it was not only important but critical to protect the state’s citizens.

But, she is disappointed by the reaction of some, especially calls for boycotts of Arizona, saying the ire of groups should be addressed to the federal government for its continuing complacency.

To have signs on lands in Arizona warning citizens to be wary because of the potential of running into illegal activities is a symptom of a major issue.

“That’s not protection, that’s surrender,” the governor passionately exclaimed.

As if the immigration issue isn’t enough to handle, Brewer said the state’s economic woes required a temporary �” 1 cent �” increase in Arizona’s sales tax.

It was a struggle to get the issue on a special ballot with members of her own party in the Arizona Legislature, which controls both chambers, fighting her.

The voters did the right thing by passing it, the governor said.

Cuts to the state’s budget has harmed a number of areas, especially education, and Brewer, who calls herself a strong advocate for public education, said the penny increase in the sales tax will help address education and other issues.

However, there is more to be done in the next session of the Legislature, and it will mean more belt tightening. The state’s constitution and voter-
approved referendums dictate the spending of funds and it actually reduces discretionary spending, the governor said.

However, there are signs, even if they’re small, the state’s economy is beginning to recover, Brewer said.

The unknown is what will happen nationwide and whether another downturn hits the states, causing recovery to be delayed even further, she said.

As for the legislators sweeping different special funds and recent court decisions, it was improper, Brewer said, adding the funds will have to be replaced and the next budget she submits will address the problem.

Taking office after the Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano resigned to become the Secretary of Homeland Security, Brewer said as the budget problems unfolded, “It was worse than I had imagined.”

Ending her interview with the Herald/Review at the airport, Brewer said her political philosophy is: “Doing the right thing always means doing the hard things.”