Tarkanian says in new radio ad he supports controversial Arizona immigration law

U.S. Senate candidate Danny Tarkanian says in a new radio ad released today that he supports Arizona's controversial new immigration enforcement law.

In the 60-second spot, the Republican contender says he supports Arizona's efforts to crack down on illegal immigrants because, Tarkanian says, Washington has not done its job of enforcing laws to keep millions of people from crossing America's pourous borders to find work. The Arizona law gives police the right to stop and question people they suspect may be illegal immigrants. Critics have called it "racial profiling" and President Barack Obama says the Justice Department may challenge the law an unconstitutional.

Tarkanian says in his ad, however, that states have the right to defend U.S. citizens, including from some illegal immigrants who may commit crimes.

"We must defend the states' 10th Amendment right to protect their citizens. That's something that Harry Reid and his Washington friends just don't understand," Tarkanians says in the ad, which is scheduled to run hourly statewide on conservative talk show radio, according to his campaign.

Reid, the Democratic incumbent, has been pressing for immigration reform in Washington that could give some illegal immigrants in the country amnesty. Reid argues that would allow illegal immigrants to come out of the "shadows" and try and seek U.S. citizenship, although without any guarantees they would be allowed to stay in America.

During a U.S. Senate debate in Reno last Friday, several other GOP contenders in the race also said they supported the Arizona law and they were generally opposed to amnesty.

Former state Sen. Sue Lowden, the GOP front-runner, said she "absolutely agrees with what Arizona is doing." Former Reno Assemblywoman Sharron Angle said Arizona needs to "stop the invasion" of illegal immigrants into their state, which borders Mexico.

Las Vegas Assmemblyman Chad Christensen congratulated Arizona on its new law.

John Chachas, an investment banker originally from Ely, emphasized the need to enforce existing laws to control illegal immigration, without saying whether he would support such an Arizona law.

Finally, Bill Parson, a former Marine, suggested giving all illegal immigrants 90 days notice to leave the country or sending law enforcement to remove them forcibly.