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By Randal C. Archibold and Mark Landler

updated 4:34 p.m. PT, Fri., June 18, 2010

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration has decided to file suit to block a new Arizona law aimed at deporting illegal immigrants, thrusting itself into the fierce
national debate over how the United States enforces immigration .

The move is a rare instance of the federal government forcefully intervening in a state’s affairs, and it carries significant political risks. With
continuing to be a hot-button issue in political campaigns across the
country, the Arizona law, which gives local police greater power to
check the legal status of people they stop, has become a rallying point
for the Tea Party and other conservative groups.

The decision to intervene, though widely anticipated, was confirmed by an unexpected source: Secretary of State Hillary Rodham ,
who answered a question about it from an Ecuadorian TV journalist in an
interview on June 8 that went all but unnoticed until this week..