Thread: Tolleson joins lawsuit aimed at stopping Arizona immigration

Tolleson joins lawsuit aimed at stopping Arizona immigration law
by David Madrid - Jun. 19, 2010 08:00 AM
The Arizona Republic
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Tolleson Mayor Adolfo Gámez says Tolleson is not a sanctuary city that supports illegal immigration.

Nevertheless, the city, which is about 80 percent Hispanic,joined a lawsuit to stop SB 1070 and HB 2162, which amends the Senate bill. The law is scheduled to take effect July 29.

"We just feel that racial profiling may occur," Gámez said. "We feel that it's an unfunded mandate, passing a law and asking cities to have additional training for our police officers when it comes to enforcing immigration laws, which shouldn't be our job."

Enforcing immigration is a federal responsibility, Gámez said.

"For that matter, I can be stopped," he said. "The chief of police can be stopped, because we might fit the profile of an illegal alien, whatever the hell that is. Why should we be subjected to that?"

On June 8, the City Council unanimously voted to allocate up to $20,000 to join a lawsuit that includes Flagstaff, San Luis and Somerton.

José de Jesus Rivera, a Phoenix attorney with a Tucson-based law firm, said a lawsuit on behalf of the cities has been filed in U.S. District Court of Arizona. The cities filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit against the state filed on behalf of Tucson police Officer Martin Escobar. He says the law is unconstitutional.

Attorneys filed motions asking the U.S. District Court in Phoenix to stop the law before it goes into effect and until the court can issue its own ruling.

Arizona's immigration law makes it a state crime to be in the country illegally. It states that an officer engaged in a lawful stop, detention or arrest shall, when practicable, ask about a person's legal status when reasonable suspicion exists that the person is in the U.S. illegally.

Gov. Jan Brewer, who signed the Senate bill into law on April 23, later signed HB 2162, which she says prohibits racial profiling. HB 2162 bars race from being considered when deciding whether to inquire about a person's status, "except to the extent permitted by the United States or Arizona Constitution."

Brewer spokesman Paul Senseman said the language of Tolleson's resolution shows that city leaders are reacting to false information. The governor asks the city to reconsider.

"The law is very specific and clear. In fact, it's redundant," Senseman said, saying racial profiling is illegal. "This misinformation that has been repeated by some national leaders has obviously permeated Tolleson. Hopefully, with those facts that are very clear in the bill, they (council members) would be more comfortable with not only not joining the lawsuit, but with supporting the legislation."

He said a training program for law enforcement officers will help avoid racial profiling. An outline of the program can be found at www.azpost.state.az.us.

The City Council outlined several points in the resolution, which was unanimously approved. The governor disputes each point:

• The law contains ambiguous language such as "reasonable suspicion" and "when practicable" and "policy" that may lead to racial profiling, especially of Hispanics.

• The law states suspects must verify their legal status before being released. However, the law does not provide a timeframe for responding to verification requests, which may lead to lawful visitors, residents and citizens being detained for unreasonable lengths of time, the resolution states.

• The law creates a burden by requiring U.S. citizens to carry papers at all times to prove they are here legally.

• The city may be sued by residents, even if the city acts in good faith.

Gámez said the law is unnecessary. When Tolleson police stop someone for violating the law, if they think a person is here illegally, they call federal authorities, he said.

"That's the way it should be, but we feel it (immigration law) has the potential of people being stopped just by the way they look," he said. "That's wrong. Our community is 80 percent Hispanic. This (racial profiling) can happen anywhere."

The mayor said it is not his job, nor the city's job, to ask residents whether they are legal.

"We assume they all are here legally," Gámez said. "They (Hispanics) live here. They work here. They pay taxes here. We have no reason to assume they are not legal."

If the courts uphold the law, Gámez said the city will follow the law.

Gámez said the law is bad for business. He said the city has been working to lure a grocer to Tolleson, but the grocer backed out because of SB 1070. Gámez would not name the business, but the city has been trying to lure a grocer that caters to Hispanics.

Gámez said he considers Tolleson an all-American city, doing what Americans do: challenging a law it believes will violate its residents' rights.

"Just as the Legislature has a right to pass laws, we have a right to challenge them," he said. "It's the American way."

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... z0rKBpPy1D

Tolleson, AZ, population 7,199, is located in Arizona's Maricopa county, about 7.4 miles from Glendale and 9.1 miles from Peoria

I don't know where to start with this idiot

Gámez said the law is unnecessary. When Tolleson police stop someone for violating the law, if they think a person is here illegally, they call federal authorities, he said.

That is exactly what SB 1070 says! So what is this guys problem? Either he is lying about their policy or is bowing to political pressure.

We need a class action law suit against all the administrators elected officials even the ones not elected for not following the laws of our Republic, the Oath of Office, and for trying to destroy our Constitution, bill or rights and what ever other abomination we can think of that they are perpetuating against the LEGAL citizenery of this Country...


Kathyet

Enforcing immigration is a federal responsibility, Gámez said.

Says who? Anyone who uses this tired line is pro-illegal invader. No question! They have no other argument to justify their position so they use this rhetoric..

Enforcing immigration is a federal responsibility, Gámez said.

"For that matter, I can be stopped," he said. "The chief of police can be stopped, because we might fit the profile of an illegal alien, whatever the hell that is. Why should we be subjected to that?"

This guy is an ignorant, race baiting idiot! Based upon this statement alone, I KNOW he has not read the law!

I really like Tolleson. We cannot live there because of the prejudice. We find the prejudice of whites to be much less than that of the Mexicans. I wanted to live in Tolleson.

"Gámez said the law is unnecessary. When Tolleson police stop someone for violating the law, if they think a person is here illegally, they call federal authorities, he said."

So what criteria are they using "if they think a person is here illegally, they call federal authorities"? So is that racial profiling by them in his own statement? Or does he think as a Hispanic city they are the only ones (Hispanic ethnicity) that can determine without using profiling techniques to determine if somebody is in the country illegally.

Let me tell you about the City of Tolleson. It is a 6 square mile crap hole city of 8,000 on the border of Phoenix, Goodyear, Avondale, and a small portion of Glendale. During the boom years of 2005-2008 many new houses were built there by developers but nobody but Hispanics would even think about moving there no matter how good the deal is. It is very heavy in gang members.

Tolleson is basically a Mexican city built inside the US and if I had to travel through there I would carry my sidearm and a shotgun in my trunk just for my own personal safety as a white boy in that town would be an attention getter. I had to go through there about six months ago due to my job and that is what I carried.

I can gurantee you that the reason the City of Tolleson Mayor is concerned is due to several factors. 1. The city is struggling financially to avoid bankruptcy. 2. The town is 80% Hispanic and I can guarantee you that at least 30% is illegal. So do the math and you have your answer as to why he is getting involved because to be Mayor and draw a hefty salary you first must have a town to mayor over.

If the town goes bankrupted or insolvent Arizona laws will mandate it become an unincorporated city again unless they were annexed by a neighboring city.

So, in my opinion, as in most cases, his issue is not so much about the law itself as it is about his own job. He is king of the hill in his own city but if they go insolvent because 1/3 to 1/2 his residents leave he will be just another peon looking for work in neighboring cities.

Tolleson is 25% higher in violent crime and double the national average for property crimes.
http://www.bestplaces.net/city/Tolleson-Arizona.aspx#

Very well put PatriotAZGuy. I suspect you also do not believe the lowball number that is the official number for illegals in our state. Supposedly that city is 52% white but the next sentence says it is 77.97% Hispanic or Latino of any race - there goes that race thing again - they can call themselves Hispanic OR White depending on what suits the moment.

Originally Posted by sarum

Very well put PatriotAZGuy. I suspect you also do not believe the lowball number that is the official number for illegals in our state. Supposedly that city is 52% white but the next sentence says it is 77.97% Hispanic or Latino of any race - there goes that race thing again - they can call themselves Hispanic OR White depending on what suits the moment.

Heck no I don't believe the numbers. You look at the daily mugshots online at Sheriff Arpaio website and you will clearly see Hispanic sur-names and Hispanic features and some of them listing themselves as white when they are clearly of Hispanic decsent.

That would be like trying to say Maryvale in Phoenix is 25% Hispanic...lol...any of us who live here and travel through those areas know better...


Hispanic illegals go to Hispanic neighborhoods because they blend in better with the culture, language, and demographics and memimize their chance for discovery in a protected zone AKA sanctuary zone. It is a profile free zone if you will because local law enforcement especially if they are non-hispanic are to afraid to question anybody in the sanctaury zone.

The Hispanic sanctuary zones continue to extend out block after block taking over neighborhoods and pushing non-hispanic citizens out. Each year neighborhoods lose their non-hispanic demographics and the area begins to degrade to a point it looks like a typical Mexican city or neighborhood which is trashy looking.

I know several areas that 10 years ago you could drive relatively safely into and business signs were in English and now they are almost all in Spanish. You see a distinct difference almost right away as you enter those areas. Its like you just crossed the border into Mexico.