THIS IS REALLY NUTS! SHOWS YOU HOW FAR THESE RUMORMONGERS WILL GO TO SUBVERT OUR LAWS

May 18, 2010
Capitol Alert (Sacramento)
The latest on California politics and government

Capitol's Latino lawmakers warn against Arizona travel

The California Latino Legislative Caucus has issued a resolution condemning Arizona's new immigration law and warning that California residents who are non-white could be targets of racial profiling by police in that state.

"We need humane and workable solutions, not an irrational and irresponsible
response to our broken immigration system," the resolution issued Monday reads.

"Be if further resolved," the resolution says, "that the California Latino Legislative Caucus cautions California residents from traveling to or spending time in Arizona due to the risk they may face in being subjected to inappropriate and unlawful scrutiny."

The resolution says that most Californians are "people of color" - 37 percent of the state's residents are Latino - and declares that they could be stopped and questioned to a higher degree than other people.

The 26-member Latino caucus - which is more than one fifth of California's Legislature - also denounced Arizona's law as a threat to trust between police and residents who might now hesitate now to report crimes.

The controversial new Arizona law requires that local police demand to see proof of legal status if an officer has "reasonable suspicion" that someone might be an illegal immigrant. Officers can detain a person who doesn't produce such proof.

Citizens and naturalized citizens are not required to carry proof of citizenship, a fact that critics say also makes the law problematic.

In the wake of criticism, Arizona lawmakers modified the law to say that racial profiling of suspects is prohibited. They also say that officers won't be making random checks of identification.

But the Latino caucus' resolution reflects critics' disbelief that certain people won't be asked to produce ID more than others.

"Although the modified law prohibits racial profiling, public officials are asserting that undocumented immigrants can be identified by the clothes they wear and the way they speak, and are using stereotypes as proxies for race which will inevitably lead to racial profiling," the legislators declared.

National polls shows an ethnic divide among public opinion on Arizona's law.

An Associated Press-Univision Poll found that 67 percent of Hispanics oppose the Arizona law, compared with 20 percent of non-Hispanics. A McClatchy-Ipsos Poll found that 61 percent of Americans in general supported the law.

Posted by Susan Ferriss
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