PHOENIX - Governor Jan Brewer and Attorney General Tom Horne announced Thursday afternoon that Arizona is filing a counter claim against the federal government for their failure to uphold constitutional obligations.

Brewer said Arizona will file the counter claim on five separate counts:

1. Failure to achieve and maintain operational control of the Arizona-Mexico border.

2. Failure to protect Arizona as the U.S. Constitution requires.

3. Failure to enforce/follow immigration laws.

4. Failure to reimburse Arizona for more than $763 million in costs for incarceration of criminal aliens.

5. Violating Arizona's 10th Amendment, failure to protect Arizona citizens' welfare.

The counter-claim comes after the federal government sued Arizona last summer after the state passed SB1070, a strict law that allows the state to crackdown on undocumented immigration in new ways. That law is currently under review in a 9th circuit court, and has not fully been implemented.

During her remarks Thursday, Brewer said our border and immigration systems are still broken.

"Arizona did not ask for this fight," Brewer said. "Arizona will not rest until federal immigration laws are enforced."

Brewer also announced that Horne will join the fight against the federal government, and take the lead on filing the counter claim.

“Security and border control is by far the number one issue in Arizona,” Brewer said.

She said that no taxpayer money would be spent on the claim, and that she has set up a website to raise funds: keepazsafe.com .

Brewer said she has already raised $3.7 million.

http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_phoenix_metro/central_phoenix/arizona-governor-jan-brewer-to-make-big-announcement-on-sb1070

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