Posted on 04/24/2010 8:06:24 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
With the signing of Senate Bill 1070, draconian legislation that would force police officers to arrest anyone they "suspect" is an illegal immigrant, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer turns her back on the momentum and outrage that has built around the country in opposition to the bill.
In the last few days alone, national law enforcement organizations, immigrant rights' groups, the ACLU, and even Senators Schumer and Graham--the authors of bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform legislation--have said in no uncertain terms that the Arizona bill is bad law that should never be enacted.
So who's against it?
The People of Arizona. According to an article in Thursday's New York Times, approximately 85 percent of the calls going in to Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer's office are being recorded in OPPOSITION to the legislation.
Law enforcement groups. Law enforcement groups and agents in Arizona and across the country have opposed the legislation. The Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police this week issued a statement, noting in part, "The provisions of the bill . . . will negatively affect the ability of law enforcement agencies across the state to fulfill their many responsibilities in a timely manner. " Individual Chiefs of Police across the country, including in Colorado Springs, Raleigh, San Francisco and Sacramento, have also come out in opposition to the bill.
President Obama. At a press conference Friday, Obama slammed the bill as "misguided," stating that "the recent efforts in Arizona, which threaten to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans, as well as the trust between police and their communities that is so crucial to keeping us safe."
People of Faith. Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony, who heads the nation's largest Roman Catholic archdiocese with 4.3 million members, spoke for many people of faith when he lambasted the bill on his blog, stating, "The Arizona legislature just passed the country's most retrogressive, mean-spirited, and useless anti-immigrant law. The tragedy of the law is its totally false reasoning: that immigrants come to our country to rob, plunder, and consume public resources. That is not only false, the premise is nonsense."
Sojourners CEO Jim Wallis has also spoken out against the bill, writing in Huffington Post, "[E]nforcement of this law would force us to violate our Christian conscience, which we simply will not do. It makes it illegal to love your neighbor in Arizona."
Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Groups--Including the ACLU, the NAACP and the Anti-Defamation League. "The passage of SB 1070 is a catastrophe in the making that would institutionalize racial profiling in a misguided attempt to fix our broken immigration system," said Wade Henderson, President and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
Deborah Lauter of the Anti-Defamation League, which fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry and protects civil rights for all, concurred. "Laws like this one and the immigration debate that surrounds them have become a flashpoint for racist and neo-Nazi extremist groups that foment bigotry and blame immigrants for all of our country's problems. Other groups in opposition include: the ACLU, the Asian American Justice Center, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) and the NAACP.
Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Leaders of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, including Reps. Gutierrez and Grijalva, have asked President Obama to block the Arizona legislation if it passes. "The president of the United States should simply say, 'On the issue of immigration, the Constitution is clear, my power is clear -- I'm going to regulate immigration in the United States from a federal level,'" Gutierrez said. On a call with reporters, Grijalva added, "When you institutionalize a law like this one, you are targeting and discriminating at a wholesale level against a group of people."
Immigrants Rights' Groups. "This bill throws the door wide open to the racial profiling of Arizona's Latinos, the vast majority of whom are native-born U.S. citizens and legal residents, without doing a single thing to protect the people of Arizona," said Janet Murguía, President and CEO of NCLR (National Council of La Raza), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States.
This afternoon, Gov. Brewer explained her decision to sign SB 1070, saying that "decades of federal inaction and misguided policies" have created "a dangerous and unacceptable situation."
Ironic choice of words, considering one could describe this xenophobic bill--which essentially legalizes racial profiling--with the exact same turn of phrase.
Do you have thoughts about the passage of SB 1070? Send a message to Jan Brewer and we'll make sure that she receives your concerns about the bill.
SEIU = enemies of America, IMO.
Hey it must be great every communist front in the USA is up in arms. Go Az.!
OK, I can see why the Mexicans are protesting but why is anyone listening to the argument that we should not be allowed to enforce the LAW no matter who tries to make the case.
On a call with reporters, Grijalva added, “When you institutionalize a law like this one, you are targeting and discriminating at a wholesale level against a group of people.”
The people are BREAKING THE LAW! I guess we shouldn’t target and discriminate against drunk drivers, rapists, drug runners either.
B F’n D
The illegal immigrants union is opposed to the law.
Don’t worry. South Carolina has a similar law and it isn’t enforced. Nothing will come of this. It’s all political fraud.
If the SEIU is against it, the legislation MUST be good for Arizona and America.
Every state in the union should pass similar legislation.
State Legislators.... ‘Doing the jobs that Federal Legislators just won’t do’.
Tell Sherriff Joe that. LOL
SEIU has always been a big amnesty pusher.
It’s nice they line up all the tax funded groups that support amnesty, but here is a letter by way of NAFBO today from a former police officer to Obama about the AZ law.
Note from NAFBPO: He is a former cop,. and has lived on the major smuggling trail in that area for many years. Now if more Americans had the courage to speak out.
April 23rd, 2010
President Barack Obama
The White House
Washington, D.C.
Dear President Obama:
It is not the new Arizona illegal immigration law that my Governor just signed that is misguided, it is you, my friend (I’m emulating Senator Juan McCain) who is misguided.
I know this may throw a monkey wrench into your goal of granting amnesty to the 20 million or more individuals who thumbed their noses at our law and made a mockery of any concept of national sovereignty and are residing here illegally, as many of them (hopefully) will now self-deport.
That would be a good thing, as it would save us the time and money otherwise needed to locate and return them to their country of origin, which this new law will greatly aid us in so doing.
The authority this law grants to our law-enforcement officials is long overdue and, if implemented years ago, we would not be facing our present illegal alien fiasco.
Now, other States of our Union are already considering passing similar laws which, while not surprising me, certainly pleases me. However, because of the number of democrats many of them now have as law makers, they may have to wait until after our next election to do so.
As for your amnesty aspirations, you can stuff them up your Pelosi.
Richard Humphries
If ya have sugar ants ya clean up the spilled sugar ..... Care when an where we use our sugar will keep the ants from getting a free handout.
My opinion....
Purpleshirt thugs.
Every time there’s a big immigration raid, the SEIU is there to make sure the poor illegals are treated right...and to unionize them.
Seems like RICO to me.
“Don’t worry. South Carolina has a similar law and it isn’t enforced. Nothing will come of this. It’s all political fraud.”
There is a provision in the AZ law that lets citizens sue the gov agency that ignores it.
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What do you expect from the SEIU. How many of their members working in hotels and other similiar jobs do you think might be illegal? I am betting a huge number albeit with forged documents (SS Cards and Green Cards).
“With the signing of Senate Bill 1070, draconian legislation that would force police officers to arrest anyone they “suspect” is an illegal immigrant, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer turns her back on the momentum and outrage that has built around the country in opposition to the bill.”
Hmm... let’s change a few words - “With the signing of the Healthcare bill, draconian legislation that will force Americans into socialized medicine, U.S. President Obama (not to mention Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid) turns his back on the momentum and outrage that has built around the country in opposition to the bill.”
And the quote can be used in SO many other instances from the last year and the coming months.
So what’s her point?
Union thugs? People who WANT TO FORCE THEIR OWN MEMBERS TO VOTE IN THE OPEN SO THAT EVERYONE KNOWS WHO IS VOTING FOR WHAT AND THE FOLKS WHO ARE NOT FILTHY LIBERALS CAN BE PUNISHED? PERHAPS with their VERY JOBS?
Unions THUGS who take the dues from ALL to use as THEY PLEASE for the democrats, only?
UNIONS want to run our nation. GIVE ME A BREAK!
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