Like most Americans I was disappointed in the decision by U. S. District Judge Susan Bolton to strip Arizona’s immigration law of most of the provisions they felt necessary to protect the state’s families.

This decision came after the Obama Administration sued the state for this law. I think that each of us expects the Federal Government to perform its number one job – protecting the American people, not engaging in in-fighting.

The simple fact is the Federal Government is not doing its job by allowing drug dealers and undocumented people to continue to cross our southern border at will. We all realize the importance of legal immigration to our society and the benefits that our country has reaped from those immigrants, but it must be achieved safely and that means through a formal, legal process.

Unfortunately, Judge Bolton’s decision to undermine the law did nothing to help Arizonians feel safe. The Arizona law, contained many of the elements of the Federal Immigration law already in effect. Judge Bolton would have served the people of Arizona and the people of America better had she simply helped them deem what was necessary to protect their state’s families and property.

I support Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer’s decision to appeal the Judge’s decision and will continue to support a state's rights to determine what is best for its residents. I encourage the federal government to spend its time fully addressing this issue, working with, not against, our states toward working to secure our Southern Borders.