WASHINGTON, May 26 (UPI) -- Attorneys for the U.S. Justice Department are recommending a legal challenge to Arizona's recently enacted immigration law, authorities say.
The recommendation, contained in an ongoing department review, says the Arizona Legislature exceeded its authority in passing a law that could interfere with federal enforcement of immigration laws, ABC News reported Wednesday.
The ongoing review could take weeks to complete, ABC reported, and no formal recommendation has been sent to the White House.
A challenge to the law would be a civil case requiring White House approval for the Justice Department to proceed.
The bill, passed in April and scheduled for implementation July 29, would give police authority to question and arrest people without warrant on "reasonable suspicion" of their immigration status, ABC said.
Police chiefs, including those from Phoenix and Tucson, met in Washington with Attorney General Eric Holder Wednesday to voice opposition to the new law. The prospect of such a measure, which has generated protests around the country, is driving a wedge between police and communities, they said.
