Thread: Imm. bill ignites outcry from students and Latino advocates

Arizona immigration bill ignites outcry from students and Latino advocates
240 commentsby Yvonne Wingett - Apr. 23, 2010 12:00 AM

While a poll indicates a 70 percent approval rating for Senate Bill 1070, the tough immigration legislation awaiting the governor's veto or signature also has unleashed a groundswell of activism among Arizona's young people and Latino advocates at a level not seen since immigration marches in 2006.

Legions of Latinos marched on the state Capitol on Thursday, many of them high-school and college students. Others expressed their opposition on the Internet, posting updates on the social-media sites Twitter and Facebook, and urging friends to ask Gov. Jan Brewer to veto the bill.


Senate Bill 1070 would make it a state crime to be in the country illegally. It requires local law enforcement to determine an individual's immigration status if an officer suspects that person is in the country illegally.

Brewer has until Saturday to sign or veto the bill. If she does neither, it will become law and become the nation's toughest state legislation against illegal immigration.

Organizers hope to influence Brewer's decision and hope that coverage will bring attention to their frustrations nationally.

Activist Carlos Garcia has taken part in immigration-reform demonstrations in the past few years. He has talked publicly to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors against Sheriff Joe Arpaio's immigration policies. But nothing lit a fire under him like Senate Bill 1070.

"This bill just blew everything up for me," said Garcia, 27, of south Phoenix. "This is an attack. That's why folks feel they have to resort to marches, or chaining themselves to doors - because the system doesn't seem fair."

Activism among Latinos largely has been dormant since 2006, when more than 100,000 advocates, students and families marched in Phoenix in support of legalization for undocumented immigrants.

The march was calibrated to demonstrate the political and economic might of immigrants at a time when federal lawmakers were in the midst of a momentous debate over what to do with the estimated 11 million to 12 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States.

Since the marches, activism stopped and restarted with the 2008 elections and bills aimed at English-only education and attempts to criminalize and penalize undocumented immigrants, said Kelly McDonald, an expert in strategic communication and public diplomacy at Arizona State University.

"The visible mass protests and demonstrations have brought to light the kind of compounded frustrations people have and a recognition that anything less than direct intervention is not going to capture people's attention," McDonald said.

The marches of a few years ago were peaceful and joyful. Today's are a mix of frustration, anger and hope, said Alfredo Gutierrez, a long-time activist, Spanish-language radio host and former state lawmaker. "There is simply resignation now," he added.

Over the past several months, Gutierrez has gathered petitions against the bill, organized demonstrations and pleaded with business owners to protest the bill. On radio, TV and the Internet, he updates followers: "(R)umors are strong that Az Gov will sign criminal trespass bill tonight. Civil disobedience will surely follow," he wrote on Twitter.

Gutierrez told The Republic that young people and activists see the bill as the legalization of apartheid.

"It's clearly trying to separate us, and the anger it's ignited is extraordinary," he said. "These kids have walked out and locked themselves up spontaneously - and the bill hasn't even passed. If she signs it, the consequences are going to be immense."

Rosemary Ybarra-Hernandez is CEO and founder of Aguila Youth Leadership Institute, a national organization of about 400 high-school and college students.

"We're getting calls from our students from across the country saying, 'What the hell is happening in Arizona?' " she said. "They want to do what they can to prevent this from moving forward."

Some students are writing letters to elected officials. Others are signing petitions.

Members of the Reform Immigration for America campaign have kept vigil outside the state Capitol since Monday morning. They slept outdoors and spent hours praying.

Alicia Contreras, a volunteer leader, said people flocked to the Capitol because of word of mouth.

"We've been talking to individuals, and if you tell one person, they tell 10," she said. "This is their way of showing what they feel. The reason the students are here is they will inherit the future that comes with this bill."

About 65 members from the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles arrived at the Capitol midday Thursday. The 26-year-old organization advocates for the constitutional rights of immigrants and refugees, spokesman Jorge Mario Cabrera said.

Their main goal for coming to Arizona was to mobilize folks and get them to empower themselves, Cabrera said.

The group's protesters gave the hundreds of high-school students lessons in civil disobedience, including teaching different chants and a unity clap.

"Go home and tell them why you walked out, so they can be here tomorrow," activist Maria Rodriguez of CHIRLA told the students.

The California group also wanted to show solidarity, Cabrera said.

"We believe the people of Arizona want a better solution," he said. "They're fed up with illegal immigration, but they've gone to the extreme and chosen to divide instead of unite."

Activist Alejandro Chavez said Arizona will revert to the 1960s if the bill becomes law. He is the grandson of legendary labor leader Cesar Chavez and believes it's his responsibility to fight against measures that "target people because of the color of their skin."

He has helped organize phone banks to call the governor, posted updates online and asked the California-based United Farm Workers of America to take action with messages on its Web site.

"(Senate Bill 1070) legalizes racial profiling," he said. "We're supposed to be the land of the free. When people can't walk around free, that's wrong."

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepubli ... cates.html

"It's clearly trying to separate us, and the anger it's ignited is extraordinary," he said. "These kids have walked out and locked themselves up spontaneously - and the bill hasn't even passed. If she signs it, the consequences are going to be immense."

Yes, the consequences of signing the bill will be immense. It will signal that we are a country of laws and they will be upheld. This bill is NOT about immigration. It is about ILLEGAL Immigration that has taken on the form of an invasion and subsequent devastation of our schools, hospitals, social services...national and state economies. American citizens are FED UP with this attempted bullying, destruction of our economy and cries of racism simply because we love our country and want to preserve it for our children. If there must be trouble, let it start here.