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OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- An Arizona sheriff known for his tough stance on illegal immigration has told a group of nearly 2,000 Kansas Republicans that his state needs its new immigration law because the federal government isn't doing its job.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio spoke Tuesday night at a rally in suburban Kansas City for Republican Kansas secretary of state candidate Kris Kobach.

Kobach helped write the Arizona law that directs officers to question people who have been stopped for another crime about their immigration status if there's a reasonable suspicion they're in the U.S. illegally.

Arpaio says the law will allow his state to protect its residents.

Several hundreds protesters lined the sidewalk outside the rally. They say the law will lead to racial profiling.