Arizona’s Law May Spark Pro-Immigrant Movement
New America Media , News Report, Valeria Fernández Posted: Apr 24, 2010
PHOENIX, Ariz. -- After a week of ongoing protests and acts of civil disobedience, Governor Jan Brewer signed SB 1070, making Arizona the first state in the nation to consider it a crime for a person to be an undocumented immigrant.
In a press conference this afternoon, Governor Brewer said the state law "mirrors federal law" and claimed that it would not lead to racial profiling. She issued an executive order to provide training to make sure police are clear as to what "reasonable suspicion" is as they carry out the law.
Brewer: New Law Won't Lead to Profiling
As she signed SB 1070, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer said she would not allow the new law to become an excuse for racial profiling. "People across America are watching Arizona, seeing how we implement this law, ready to jump on even the slightest misstep," she said. "Some of those people from outside our state have an interest in seeing us fail. They will wait for a single slip-up, one mistake, and then they will work day and night to create headlines and get the face time they so desperately covet. We cannot give them that chance."
A complete transcript of Governor Brewer's remarks is available here.
The new law will go into effect 90 days after the end of the legislative session, which is expected to adjourn in the coming weeks.
“I’m disappointed, but not surprised. I believe she’s taken this action for political purposes because she is running for election. It is a poor reason to sign unconstitutional legislation,” said Rep. Kirsten Sinema, D-Phoenix. “The silver lining is that we are going to sue and we are going to win.”
Several legal challenges to keep the legislation from taking effect are in the works by the Mexican American Legal and Educational Fund (MALDEF), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON).
“Arizona would have the same place in history as South Africa,” said Salvador Reza, organizer for the PUENTE movement, which advocates for human rights, comparing the new law to apartheid.
But the passage of the Arizona law may also have ignited the pro-immigration reform movement. Rep. Luis Gutiérrez, D-Illinois, is expected to hold a rally in Arizona on Sunday.
“We hope President Obama can join us at the rally to announce swift action the federal government will take to protect the civil rights of its residents,” said Pablo Alvarado, the executive director of NDLON.
President Obama criticized the Arizona bill earlier today, saying it threatens to “undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans, as well as the trust between police and our communities that is so crucial to keeping us safe.” He called on Congress to enact immigration reform, saying that without a federal overhaul of immigration laws, “we will continue to see misguided efforts opening up around the country.”
Opponents of the bill are holding ongoing protests and planning economic boycotts of the state convention center.
Since early Friday, thousands of people have gathered outside the state capitol, peacefully protesting the bill with signs reading “Veto SB 1070” and “We are human.” A great majority of them are students between the ages of 14 and 17 who walked out spontaneously from school after news of the protest spread through text-messaging.
Supporters of the bill numbered about a dozen.
There has been a strong police presence and some activists are concerned that the governor’s signing of the bill could lead to acts of violence.
Before a crowd of peaceful protesters at the capitol, Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon spoke passionately against SB 1070 and announced that he would seek approval from the council to seek to stop the bill's implementation through a lawsuit.
SB 1070, also known as the “Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhood Act,” would allow police officers to arrest a person based on “reasonable suspicion ” that he or she is an undocumented immigrant. Police departments could face lawsuits by individuals who believe they are not enforcing the law.
“This bill criminalizes people who appear to be Latino and puts them at risk for racial profiling and prosecution and harassment in the state,” said Sinema.
“There’s no protection in this bill for people who are witnesses or victims of crimes,” she added. “They’ll be less likely to work with police to keep the community safe.”
SB 1070 would also impose penalties for transporting or harboring an undocumented immigrant, which could include family members.
“This is going to break our families apart,” said Estela, an undocumented immigrant who has two children born in the United States. “My older son will want to stay, but we may have to leave.”
The law would have a devastating impact on undocumented students who were brought to the United States when they were very young, said Carmen Cornejo, executive director of CADENA, a group that advocates for passage of the DREAM Act, which would provide a path to citizenship for high school graduates who attend college or serve in the military.
“Even though this is going on, we can’t stop going to school, we can’t stop going to work, we still have a life,” said Dulce, a 25-year-old undocumented immigrant who has an engineering degree. “And we shall not fear.”
Dulce says it has been a difficult week for her family as they waited to hear whether the governor would sign the bill.
“It’s going to be another obstacle,” said the student. “We’ll have to be like we always are, extra careful. They’re not supposed to stop you if you don’t do anything wrong,” said the student. “As an Arizonan and as an undocumented immigrant, I’ll take precautions.”
Dulce planned to attend a protest all day Friday against the bill’s passage.
For immigrant communities, SB 1070 might be the tipping point for action and mobilization after state voters and conservative legislators have passed a series of laws aimed at hardening social conditions in the state to encourage immigrants to leave.
“We’re not going to give up,” said Estela. “We hope that something will be done in the next 90 days.”
Some of the Arizona laws have resulted in U.S.-citizen children going without health care benefits and a number of raids conducted by Maricopa County Sheriff’s deputies that have terrorized immigrant communities.
A coalition of businesses and religious leaders has warned that the impact of the new measure could severely damage the Arizona economy.
“SB 1070 is tearing our state into two. It humiliates us into the eyes of America and threatens our economic recovery,” said Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon during a speech on Thursday when he urged the governor to veto SB 1070.
Sen. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, the author of the bill, said the legislation would have the opposite effect. He believes the new legislation will lead immigrants to leave Arizona, causing the state to save money in services it currently provides to the children of undocumented immigrants at schools and hospitals. He has said that states have to take the matter into their own hands in absence of federal enforcement.
The recent death of a rancher on the border connected to violence in the area gave momentum to SB 1070.
Pearce said the legislation would take the handcuffs off law enforcement by allowing them to inquire about a person’s immigration status and would result in a number of immigrants choosing to leave the state.
Ilario and his wife, both undocumented immigrants from Guerrero, Mexico who have lived in the United States for the last 12 years, joined 30 of their neighbors to walk the streets in protest, showing that they refused to remain in the shadows. Ilario knows proponents of the bill want he and his family to leave Arizona, but he is not ready to do that.
“There’s too much at stake for us,” said Ilario in Spanish. “Aquí estamos y no nos vamos.”
Related Articles:
Police Chiefs Warn Arizona's Bill Will Make Communities Unsafe
Arizona Legislature Makes Being Undocumented a Crime
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User Comments
jim mestepey on May 22, 2010 at 09:15:23 said:
it's about time elected persons started saying out loud what most working people in "our" country have been seeing and saying for years!!!!!!!!!!! KUDOS to GOV. BREWER!!!!!!!!!!!
susan sanders on May 13, 2010 at 15:05:16 said:
I am fed up beyond belief with ILLEGAL immigration in this country. No other nation, INCLUDING MEXICO would stand for this situation nor could survive its borders being obliterated.
Margaret Hineman on May 04, 2010 at 15:31:48 said:
Govenor Jan Brewer will be appreciated by all the legal citizens in the United States. If the illigal immigrants want to be citizens they should start the process to become citizens.
argoile on May 04, 2010 at 07:12:50 said:
The Arizona law is wrong, but it's not going to spark any kind of movement because the bulk of the American public is fed up with illegal entries into the country. What would smooth the way for immigration reform would be an improvement in conditions for Americans: single payer health care legislation now, jobs for the 35 million Americans who are unemployed. Since the immigrant rights communiity is essentially a self-serving, corporate supported, wage degrading movement only concerned with themselves, it's unlikely this will move further as America, the soup bowl continues to sink.
john on May 02, 2010 at 11:20:26 said:
Your protest chant should be in English if you want credibility.Go Gov.Brewer.
john on May 02, 2010 at 11:15:50 said:
3 cheers for Gov.Brewer
Thom on May 01, 2010 at 13:36:54 said:
Bravo, Govenor Brewer.It is about time someone in our govenment has taken the innititive to do something about this problem.I thin alllegal immigrants ought to get out and get behind this law.Maybe some of our other politicians will get off thie fat duffs and do something to help Govenor Brewer.we are not racist or bigots we just want our country back legaly.God Bless America !!!!!!
ray on Apr 29, 2010 at 22:13:17 said:
every state needs to do this when nonspeaking people try to pickup my 13 yr old daughter and my town is overrun with illigal mexicans in illinois something is wrong . so they come this far north and we donot deport them because they are further in the u.s. nice but i go 5mph over the speed limit i pay out my ass..and because they are not us citizens they break laws and get what a slap on the wrist all this and we people who have been here for generations suffer .. healthcare via e.r,s helping them schools overrun with who knows whos kids jobs well we have very few. and to see 10-15 people adults and children living in a 3 bedroom home.i pay taxes on my 2 kids in my 3 bedroom home wtf is this country coming to.is that ok all those people getting the benefits of my tax dollars between 5-10 adults i dont think so. send em all back!!!!
jessirae on Apr 28, 2010 at 17:17:07 said:
I believe that this is a great idea 80% plus US CITIZAN agree with this law I say bravo someone did sothing
Dave on Apr 25, 2010 at 12:44:46 said:
People need to learn the difference between immigrants and illegal aliens. The arrogance of some people actually shocks me.
Tony Harris on Apr 24, 2010 at 12:00:30 said:
History repeats. A Governor and State police, armed with guns and ignorance, blocking the way of peaceful people. A boycott of a racist state government is probably a good start.
Linda on Apr 24, 2010 at 10:08:30 said:
Immigrant advocates will not stop their work.
All the anti-immigration bloggers need to go back to school, learn some good grammar and spelling otherwise the immigrants will ace you on that too.
toboldlygo on Apr 24, 2010 at 09:01:58 said:
it's about time someone had the BALLS to stand up and say no more
you people are being underminded everytime an illegle comes in to the USA
it takes jobs from hard working Americans.
Zionist controlled corparations are using hispanics as cheap labour it is all by design NOT by accident
any hispanics that disagree with me then fine
you want to be treated the same as everyone else
do you want to be paid the same as everyone else
enjoy the same freedoms
then come to Canada we have very few hispanics here
but do it threw proper channels
Canada would welcome you with open arms
you have an awsome culture it would fit well inside canada along with the hundreds of cultures here allready here
Canada dosent assimilate we are muti cultural
and out of the very few spanish people we have here maybe 60,000 every single encounter i have had with hispanics has been completely POSITIVE
like i said earler we would welcome you with open arms NO BS........
True North Strong and Free
Frank on Apr 24, 2010 at 05:09:41 said:
I want to ask this people crying about immigrants to tell us, where did they come from? They will say from America right? wrong we all came from somewhere, unless you are a native, you are an immigrant that became an American, it is ok if you get upset, what I mean is you all (your ancestors) came the same way we all came here, (some in a boat and some on many other ways) at the end we all looking for a better future, perhaps some came uninvited and later on were granted citizenship, the ones writing angry comments should look at the fact that there are more people (American Citizens) in this country sucking the government dry that any immigrants, at least undocumented immigrants work, unfortunately they are not allow to pay taxes so it looks like they get a free ride, think about this, they pay for their food, they pay their own rent and all their own expenses, think about the millions that they pump in to the economy no out of it, on the other hand take a look inside America and see how many citizens are just flat out sucking it dry, do they deserve that? perhaps some will think yes because we are Americans, at least immigrant work and expend money here, perhaps they legal ones are the ones that need a reform.
Just take a ride on the so call low income neighborhoods and while you and I work our butts off, they spend the day drinking beer and watching TV and making more kids while we pay our taxes, they get, free rent, food stamps, free everything, in top of that the ones that do some side work do not pay taxes, I am not talking about the ones that lost their job due to the economy (there is some people that really need the help) I am talking about the lazy ones that don't want to work and just blame the immigrant for the lack of work, if you are qualified and you have a good aptitude people will hire you, employers do not hire undocumented immigrants because of the pay (ok some will) but mostly because they work like there is not tomorrow and they are happy to have a job.
Concepcion James on Apr 23, 2010 at 23:36:04 said:
This is racial profiling which was birthed out of the fear of a growing Latino population in Arizona and racist stereotyping of Latinos as criminals and moochers. I ask my fellow Latino brothers and sisters and our allies to boycott the Republican party. Without the Latino vote they can never win another election. Face it Latinos are here to stay - we are not going anywhere. Our families have contributed billions to the U.S. economy and made major contributions at all levels. Latino Americans wake up - Arizona is a warning to U.S. Latinos - that Americans want to blame the U.S. economy on Latinos rather than looking at capitalistic greed on Wall Street.
bubbles on Apr 23, 2010 at 21:22:08 said:
Boycott Arizona. These racists will not get one dime of my money.
Greg in LA on Apr 23, 2010 at 19:48:15 said:
Go Sheriff Arpio Go!!!
Enforce our immigration laws and send the illegals back to Mexico!!
l00ker on Apr 23, 2010 at 16:22:51 said:
You illegal alien 'advocates' need to quit while you're behind, or end up in the same barrel as the illegal aliens and their illegitimate farts here soon.
Reynaldo Salcedo on Apr 23, 2010 at 14:47:25 said:
People will be harass base on the color of their skin, it's like going back to the civil right movement era. America is a proud country and if we don't stop and think for a moment this will all back fire. Soon the Citizens of Arizona will have no one to do the jobs that most Citizens wont do. Illegal immigrants have always been exploited and this has always been the norm. I pray real Americans who take pride in a free Nation don't lose site of what this great Country was build on. Discrimination of minorities has been going on in America long enough and It's getting to old to continue on this path. Reflect Pray and do the right thing America.
Dave on Apr 23, 2010 at 14:23:39 said:
“SB 1070 is tearing our state into two. It humiliates us into the eyes of America and threatens our economic recovery,” said Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon during a speech.
-->That is a flat out lie. People here in Illinois are wishing we had politicians with the courage to enforce the law.