Candlelight vigil held at Governor Jan Brewer's home to protest tough immigration bill

by Eddi Trevizo - Apr. 18, 2010 09:55 PM
The Arizona Republic

Nearly 30 people gathered for a candlelight vigil in front of Gov. Jan Brewer's Glendale home Sunday night in a bid to convince her to veto Senate Bill 1070.

Protesters held signs, linked arms for prayers and sang "This Land Is Your Land" to protest the bill they say could increase racial profiling in Arizona.


"This is something that (if passed) affects the entire community and anybody with brown skin," said protestor Alejandra Gomez, a Phoenix resident.

The House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 1070 on April 13. The Senate is scheduled to vote on the bill Monday. A 24-hour vigil is expected to kick off at 7 a.m. Monday at the State Capitol. If passed, Brewer would have five days to sign, veto or leave the bill alone and allow it to become law.

Some provisions of Senate Bill 1070 include:

• Requires law enforcement to make a reasonable attempt "when practicable" to determine the immigration status of a person if reasonable suspicion exists that the person is in the U.S. illegally.

• Makes it a crime to conceal, harbor or shield an illegal immigrant if the person knows or recklessly disregards the immigrant's legal status. Allows legal defense for someone providing emergency, public-safety or public-health services to illegal immigrants.

• Makes it a state crime to be an illegal immigrant, by creating a state charge of "willful failure to complete or carry an alien registration document."

• Make it a crime for illegal immigrants to work or solicit work in Arizona.

"The bill would criminalize people because they aren't registered . . . they aren't committing crimes," said Gomez.

Angel Chalin, who has lived in Arizona for 17 years, said he is unemployed because of his unregistered status.

"I want to provide for my family. I want to be able to pay for my house, but I can't get a job because I don't have papers," Chalin told the group of protestors.

"I'm an illegal Guatemalan; I want a chance for hope and to be free like everybody else," he said.

Paul Senseman, a spokesman for Brewer, declined to confirm whether the governor was inside her home during the vigil, but said her office has received thousands of calls from supporters and opponents of Senate Bill 1070.

Senseman said Brewer will not offer comment on a bill that hasn't reached her desk.

"If you look back, (the governor) has a consistent track record of supporting reasonable illegal-immigration enforcement," he said.

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