via:blackamericaweb.com
Black civil rights leaders and elected officials joined Latino groups in condemning Arizona Republican Gov. Jan Brewer’s decision to sign into law an immigration bill that opponents say will foster racial profiling by Arizona law enforcement agencies.
The new law that Brewer signed Friday makes failure to carry proof of U.S. citizenship or legal status a crime. Anyone who can’t produce proper documentation can be arrested, be fined up to $2,500 and face jail time.
The law gives police the power to detain and question individuals about their rights to be in the country. Some opponents of the law say the measure harkens back to World War II Germany where authorities asked to see a person’s papers on the spot to determine if they were legally in the country.
Latino and black civil rights groups, politicians and immigration reform advocates say the new law will unfairly target black and brown people, in the U.S. legally or not, because it allows police officers to question someone if they suspect they are illegal.
President Obama called the Arizona law “misguided” on Friday. Wade Henderson, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference, called the law “a catastrophe in the making.”
“This bill would make racial profiling the norm in Arizona by requiring law enforcement to stop, question, detain and arrest anyone that they have a “reasonable suspicion” to believe is undocumented – that is, anyone they suspect of being “foreign,” Henderson said Friday. “This is a net so wide and indiscriminate that it will target not only undocumented immigrants but also those with lawful status – legal permanent residents and citizens alike – as well as anyone from any state or nation who travels legally to Arizona for work, leisure or to visit a family member.”
The Congressional Black Caucus also slammed Arizona for implementing the new law. CBC Chair Barbara Lee, D-Calif., and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Tex., chair of the CBC’s Immigration Task Force, called the new law “patently unconstitutional.”
“If the federal government were to allow the continuation of the passing of such laws across the nation, this will alter not only our beliefs in justice and liberty, but will move the United States closer to other countries that are able to restrain and detain persons without cause,” Lee and Jackson-Lee said in a joint statement Saturday. “This is shameful. So we join with other civil rights organizations and Latino leadership groups by expressing our opposition to this form of law and again calling on the Congress to legislatively provide for immigration reform that addresses the human needs of those who simply want justice, and to also ensure the security of our borders.”
It’s not surprising that black groups and black lawmakers are concerned about the Arizona law. They realize that Latinos aren’t the only group that makes up the estimated 12 million immigrants currently in the United States illegally. Many hail from African and Caribbean nations.
But it’s questionable whether the House of Representatives and the Senate have the will or the appetite to deal with a hot-button issue like comprehensive immigration reform bill in a midterm election year.
In criticizing the Arizona bill, Obama called on Congress to deal with immigration. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has told pro-immigration groups Congress will consider an immigration bill this year. Reid reportedly instructed Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., to try to forge a deal with on a bipartisan immigration bill with other senators within …..three weeks. If a deal can’t be reach, then Senate Democrats will present their own bill, according to The Washington Post.
But the House’s Democratic leaders appear lukewarm on dealing with immigration now, largely because they feel their members have supported the White House on enough tough votes ranging from financial rescue packages for U.S. automakers and banks to health care reform.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said they would deal with an immigration bill on the House floor only after the Senate passed an immigration bill.
The chances of that happening seem low because of the political climate leading in the months before November’s elections. Graham is currently the only Republican in forefront on immigration.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who in the past strongly advocated revamping immigration laws to include a guest worker program that would provide a path to citizenship for illegal workers, faces a tough Republican primary election against conservative former Rep. J.D. Hayworth. McCain now talks more about bolstering security along the U.S.-Mexican border than creating a guest worker program.
Democrats realize they could pay a fatal price at the polls if they don’t move on immigration reform. Obama was elected on a wave of Latino votes. Reid, who’s trailing Republican candidates in his reelection bid, will need Nevada’s a heavy Latino vote if he’s to return to Washington.
Pro-immigration groups say Latino anger over legislative inaction on immigration could impact as many as 40 congressional races in November. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Democrats should come up with an immigration bill and not give into election-year incumbent fear.
“I’m sure sending 30,000 troops to Afghanistan is risky, but it’s the right thing to do,” Gibbs told reporters Friday. “It’s a politically risky thing to make sure that two auto companies don’t go under, causing a million jobs to be lost, but it was the right thing to do. The president was elected to do the right things, not just do what was politically easy.”
