AZ Immigration Bill Writer’s Resume: GOP Activist, Ashcroft Aide, Arpaio Ally
And as a lawyer for the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) — an anti-illegal immigration organization that the SPLC lists as a nativist hate group — he’s carved out a niche as the go-to legal expert for governments looking to craft draconian immigration laws. Kobach wrote local laws for towns including Hazelton, Penn. and Farmer’s Branch, Texas, designed to crack down on citizens who rented property to illegal immigrants. The Hazelton law was struck down as unconstitutional by a federal judge in 2007.
No surprise, then, that when hard-line anti-immigration sheriff Joe Arpaio — himself a big winner in Kobach’s bill — was looking for someone to train his deputies in how to enforce immigration laws, he turned to Kobach. And it looks like Kobach is being compensated generously for his work.