Thread: Rally planned to defend Arizona

Credit: Ambreen Ali, Congress.org

Article:

http://www.congress.org/news/2010/05/13 ... nd_arizona

Rally planned to defend Arizona
Tea parties are among those planning June event.

Conservative immigration groups are planning a rally in Arizona next month to support the new immigration law.

Americans for Legal Immigration PAC and NumbersUSA, the leading conservative groups on the issue, are among those hosting the June 12 rally in Phoenix.

Tea party groups are also planning to attend, including Tea Party Patriots Live.

Don't confuse that smaller group with Tea Party Patriots, the nation's largest coalition in the conservative movement. The Patriots have tried to avoid divisive social issues.

But clearly there are tea party activists who want to speak up about immigration, and some of them will make their presence known at the rally where lawmakers and the Arizona governor may speak.

"We want Americans from all states to converge on Arizona with us on the weekend of June 12 to shop in the state and show our support for local police enforcing our immigration laws," a press release about the event reads.

Immigrant rights groups blasted the event and called the organizers hate groups in a press release of their own.

"The makeup of the groups supporting Arizona's 'show me your papers' law accurately reflects the law's spirit: racist and scapegoating," wrote Deepak Bhargava, who heads the D.C.-based liberal Center for Community Change.

-- Ambreen Ali, Congress.org


----- In other news -----

credit: Congress.org by Ambreen Ali

Do evangelicals back immigration?

It's unclear whether national leaders have grassroots backing. Evangelical leaders may back an immigration overhaul, but it seems like their base may not.

Latino rights groups gained an important ally this week when the National Association of Evangelicals decided to work on their cause. The national group plans to lobby conservative lawmakers to pass an immigration bill.

Some immigration activists believe that having the evangelical support could push their bill over the finish line.

But Newsweek writes that the religious leaders are out of touch with their members, who still hold conservative views on immigration.

The association could still influence the debate in Washington, D.C., but the disconnect with its base shows that some national groups claiming to represent a base of Americans don't actually reflect those people's views.

Update: Newsweek has updated its original post with a piece that suggests "the gap between Evangelical leaders and the pews isn't nearly as pronounced."

-- Ambreen Ali, Congress.org

Credit: Ambreen Ali, Congress.org

Link: http://www.congress.org/news/2010/05/14 ... tion_fight

Article: Tea Party Patriots join immigration fight

Activists plan rally to support Arizona law. The nation's largest tea party coalition has decided to jump into the immigration debate and back Arizona's new law.

The leaders of Tea Party Patriots have long said they won't get into social issues like immigration that could divide their base. Their Contract From America purposely hovers around their three core issues: small government, free markets, and individual liberty.

But as the new Arizona law fueled a nationwide debate over immigration, the Patriots decided to put their involvement up for a vote. Members who took part in a national conference call voted unanimously in favor of joining the debate.

"Like everything we do, we went to our membership," Mark Meckler, a national coordinator for the Patriots, said. "This is not a racial issue. It's a matter of national sovereignty."

The Patriots plan to take part in a rally on May 29 at the Arizona Diamondbacks stadium in Phoenix.

The baseball team has been targeted by immigrant rights groups who are boycotting Arizona. Those groups are also planning events on the same day.

They plan to march to the state capitol in Phoenix while the tea partyers hold their rally.

-- Ambreen Ali, Congress.org

bumping lol -- I think this is important