Boycotts put Arizona's reputation on the line

(News Today) - As the voice of opposition to Arizona's controversial immigration law gets louder, the state's reputation can expect to take a hit.

Critics of the law are calling for economic boycotts of Arizona, urging corporations and organizations to refrain from holding conventions in the state.

They're also pressuring Major League Baseball to take its 2011 All-Star Game elsewhere, much like the National Football League did in 1993 when Arizona refused to recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a holiday.

While Arizona can ride out the backlash in the short term, the impact could hit hard later on, said Brayden King, assistant professor of management and organizations at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.

"The reputational consequences will have long-term economic consequences if it's not resolved," King said.

Critics have said the law, which allows police to ask anyone for proof of legal U.S. residency, will lead to racial profiling. Supporters argue it will crack down on illegal immigration.

Latino rights groups, others call for Arizona boycott

Days after the bill was signed into law, Debbie Johnson, president and CEO of the Arizona Hotel & Lodging Association, said three conferences were canceled, including a gathering of the American Immigration Lawyers Association scheduled for fall.

The calls for boycotts are coming from across the country. The Boston City Council approved a resolution calling on the Massachusetts city to pull investments from Arizona. The Oakland, California, City Council voted this week to boycott Arizona businesses. Chris Coleman, mayor of St. Paul, Minnesota, banned city-funded travel to the state.

Coleman also planned to write letters to the chairmen of the Republican and Democratic national committees, encouraging them not to choose Phoenix as the host city for their 2012 conventions.

In Arizona, the Tucson and Flagstaff city councils voted this week to file suit against the immigration law. The city councils said they're taking action because of concerns over enforcement costs and negative effects on Arizona's tourism industry.

Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup said up to 38 percent of retail sales in the city come from legal Mexican visitors.

The Arizona Hotel & Lodging Association has set up a Facebook page titled "Don't Boycott AZ Tourism," which urges visitors not to scapegoat the tourist industry and its workers.

Supporters of the law outside of the state are mobilizing. Organizers with Voice of the People USA and Tea Party Patriots Live announced Thursday they planned to hold rallies in Phoenix and across the country the week of June 5 to counter any boycotts and show support for the immigration law.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has dismissed the notion that the state's immigration law would hurt economic development, saying many businesses have long wanted tougher action. The law is slated to go into effect late this summer unless court challenges hold it up.

What does the law do?

In an editorial on ESPN.com, Brewer said the recent boycotts and calls for MLB Commissioner Bud Selig to move next year's All-Star game are misguided.

"Put simply, history shows that boycotts backfire and harm innocent people. Boycotts are just more politics and manipulation by out-of-state interests. As a border state, Arizona has already paid a heavy price for the federal government's failure -- hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars in unreimbursed costs -- and its citizens should not be punished further," she wrote in the Wednesday article.

But King, the Northwestern professor, said history also has shown the opposite to be true.

Citing the Boston Tea Party in the 1770s and the civil rights-era boycotts in the South, King noted, "Those did not hurt the innocent, and they had real impact on political and social change."

A majority of Americans support Arizona's law, even though most of them think it could lead to racial profiling, according to a recent national poll.

A CBS/New York Times survey released Tuesday indicates that Americans overwhelmingly believe that the country's immigration laws need to be changed.

A Gallup Poll released last week showed similar public attitudes: Nearly four in 10 Americans supported the law, with three in 10 opposed, and 31 percent saying they had not heard of the new law at the time, or had no opinion.

While the boycotts are keeping the law in the spotlight, King predicted that even those apathetic about the issue could take a side.

"Even people who wouldn't have cared in the first place are now becoming aware of it and are starting to develop opinions about it. They may have been lukewarm or moderate in the beginning, but they are probably becoming polarized as they become more educated about the issue," he said, noting that Arizonans' opinion on the issue could change as well.

"[Brewer's] constituents will not be happy if Arizona loses major business revenue like a Super Bowl or an All-Star Game," he said. "Even if their own pocketbook is not being affected, they're not going to want to be associated with that kind of negative press."

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Latino rights group, others call for Arizona boycott

Washington (News Today) - A Latino rights group and other immigrant and labor organizations called Thursday for a national boycott of Arizona over the state's new immigration law, which allows police to ask anyone for proof of legal U.S. residency.

The call for a boycott was led by the National Council of La Raza, which bills itself as the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States.

Other organizations calling for the boycott include the Asian American Justice Center, the Center for Community Change, the League of United Latin American Citizens, the National Puerto Rican Coalition, the Service Employees International Union, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and the United Food and Commercial Workers union.

The groups pledged not to hold major conventions, conferences or other special events involving significant travel to Arizona from out of state and "asked others to consider whether their purchases of goods and services might perpetuate the unjust and discriminatory law in Arizona," La Raza said on its website.

"When a law so contrary to our values is passed, we must act decisively," said La Raza President and CEO Janet Murguia. "We are calling for a boycott because this law will blow open the door to increased racial profiling, wrongful arrests and other discrimination."

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, who signed the immigration measure April 23, says it does not involve racial profiling or any other illegal acts.

The law, known as SB 1070, is scheduled to go into effect this summer.

The measure has drawn criticism in the United States and abroad.

In Arizona, the Tucson and Flagstaff city councils voted this week to file suit against the measure.

The city councils said they're taking action because of concerns over enforcement costs and negative effects on Arizona's tourism industry.

In Tucson, council member Regina Romero introduced a motion for "the city attorney to bring a legal challenge" because the immigration bill is "unconstitutional" and "a bad law, which could cost the city millions of dollars in lawsuits."

"This bill opens the door to racial profiling, and it puts Latinos in Arizona in automatic suspect mode," Romero said.

Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup said up to 38 percent of retail sales in the city come from legal Mexican visitors.

The state immigration law threatens Tucson's businesses, Walkup said, just when "the city is just beginning to recover from the economic downturn."

Criticism also has come from abroad, with the Mexican government issuing an advisory to its citizens last week to avoid travel to Arizona.

The Organization of American States expressed its concern about the law last week, and presidents of South American countries meeting in Argentina for a gathering of the Union of South American Nations condemned the law Tuesday.

Well-known Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes recommended this week that dark-skinned people, men with mustaches, women who use shawls, or anyone who does not speak English well should not go to Arizona, because the state has "officially declared itself racist," the government-run Notimex news service reported Wednesday.

The Phoenix Suns basketball team also criticized the new law, and wore jerseys marked "Los Suns" in Wednesday night's NBA playoff game against the San Antonio Spurs.

"The frustration with the federal government's failure to deal with the issue of illegal immigration resulted in passage of a flawed state law," Suns managing partner Robert Sarver said in a statement. "However intended, the result of passing this law is that our basic principles of equal rights and protection under the law are being called into question, and Arizona's already struggling economy will suffer even further setbacks at a time when the state can ill-afford them."

Arizona legislators say they passed the law because the federal government has failed to safeguard the border with Mexico, allowing more than 450,000 undocumented immigrants to settle in the state.

On Thursday, Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer of New York wrote a letter to Brewer, asking Arizona to delay implementing the law for one year "in order to permit Congress sufficient time to enact comprehensive immigration reform to address Arizona's security needs."

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Obama calls on Congress to work on immigration reform

Washington (News Today) - President Obama on Wednesday called on Congress to work on comprehensive immigration reform this year, saying it would be the best way to fix the nation's broken immigration system.

Speaking at a Cinco de Mayo celebration at the White House, Obama again criticized the recently enacted Arizona immigration law as the wrong approach.

"The answer isn't to undermine fundamental principles that define us as a nation," Obama said to applause. He called instead for "common-sense comprehensive immigration reform."

In an apparent effort to clarify his comment last week that the political climate might be too difficult to take up immigration reform, Obama said Congress should begin work now on the issue.

"I was pleased to see a strong proposal for comprehensive reform presented in the Senate last week, and I was pleased it was based on a bipartisan framework," Obama said. "I want to begin work this year. And I want Democrats and Republicans to work with me."

Without a comprehensive federal approach, the president said, state and local authorities would continue to take "misconceived" steps at addressing the illegal immigration problem, such as the recently enacted Arizona law that allows police to ask anyone for proof of legal U.S. residency.

Critics say the law will lead to racial profiling, while supporters say it involves no racial profiling and is needed to crack down on increasing crime involving illegal immigrants.

In Arizona, the city councils of Tucson and Flagstaff have decided to file a lawsuit against the new immigration law. Members of the Phoenix Suns basketball team, meanwhile, planned to wear jerseys in Wednesday night's playoff game that say "Los Suns" as a tribute to the state's Latino community, Suns' managing partner Robert Sarver said in a statement.

Obama made a reference to the basketball team's gesture, saying that some attending the White House celebration probably wanted to watch the game between the San Antonio Spurs and "Los Suns."

"Make no mistake -- our immigration system is broken" and people were right to be frustrated, including those in border states such as Arizona, Obama said.

However, "we can't start singling out people depending on who they look like or how they talk or how they dress," he said, adding he has asked for a review of the Arizona law.

Comprehensive immigration reform would include continuing government efforts to secure borders from illegal immigrants as well as steps to crack down on businesses employing illegal immigrants, Obama said.

In addition, he said, those living illegally in the United States would have to pay a penalty and any taxes they owe, learn English, "make themselves right with the law" and then start the process of gaining legal citizenship.

Getting congressional approval for a bill would be tough, he said.

"We need bipartisan support, but it can be done and it needs to be done."

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Arizona law foes' best weapon is dollars

(News Today) - In response to Arizona's law cracking down on illegal immigration, pro-immigration and Hispanic organizations have launched a national protest campaign.

Protests took place in more than 90 cities on Saturday to remind politicians of the size of the immigrant community. Jorge-Mario Cabrera from the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, California, told reporters: "If Republicans and Democrats do not take care of this albatross around our necks, this will in fact be the undoing of many, many years of civil rights struggle in this country." In his city, more than 60,000 people turned out for a downtown rally.

While Republicans and Democrats have been panicking about the backlash they could face if they supported liberalized immigration policies, it is becoming clear that they didn't pay enough attention to what the costs of these positions could be for their party and the states they represent.

Pro-immigration groups have started a national boycott against Arizona. The boycott promises to be substantial in scale and scope. San Francisco, California, Mayor Gavin Newsom has announced that he will ban city employees from traveling to the state. Los Angeles officials are considering doing the same. There is growing pressure on Major League Baseball to pull next year's all-star game out of Phoenix if the law is not changed. In other words, Arizona has a potentially big economic problem on its hands.

The economic boycott has been a powerful tool in the struggle for social rights. During the civil rights era, African-American activists used boycotts to create pressure for social change and to draw national attention to their cause.

In 1955, African-Americans in Alabama launched a boycott of the bus system in Montgomery after local civil rights activist Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white rider. Given that African-Americans constituted a large part of the ridership, the boycott hurt the city's revenue base. As people found alternative ways to get to work and school, the boycott drew national attention.

Northerners expressed support for the boycott and gave donations. Several national leaders emerged, including the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Ralph Abernathy, who would remain at the forefront of the struggle through the 1960s. The boycott ended in 1956 when the Supreme Court declared that the segregated transit system was unconstitutional.

The boycott was also central in the fight for labor justice and union rights. In 1965, the United Farm Workers Organizing Committee, under the leadership of Cesar Chavez, launched a national boycott against grapes. The five-year boycott, called "la huelga," placed immense pressure on California grape growers to recognize the union. The boycott drew national attention to the plight of unorganized immigrant workers in low-paying and dangerous jobs.

"Go to the public," Chavez told workers, "and tell them what it is that we need, and get them to help us. ..." The union floated balloons in Toronto, Ontario, supermarkets that said "Boycott Grapes" and organized postcard writing campaigns to A &P grocery offices in major cities.

Chavez once said the boycott "gets into people's hearts and minds, like writing a good poem or book -- if you keep at it, it will come." Chavez was right. On July 29, 1970, 26 grape growers in California signed contracts recognizing the union.

Sometimes boycotts can temporarily stave off action. After the House passed a stringent anti-immigration measure in 2005, immigrants conducted a one-day boycott in schools and businesses to demonstrate their role in the economy. The boycott helped persuade the Senate to reject the House measure and propose a more liberal alternative, although that never passed.

Not every boycott works. But there is a strong track record.

The most effective boycotts find strategic and charismatic leaders to articulate the goals and aspirations of its supporters. They are able to focus national attention on the contributions to society of the people who are the target of certain social practices or legislation. They are also able to demonstrate enough economic muscle so that their opponents, and those who are not particularly invested on either side of the issue, see a clear economic cost to the continuation of the status quo.

The boycott has offered a form of nonviolent civil protest that has an immense economic bite. Within Arizona, there are already signs that politicians are rethinking what they have done. Gov. Jan Brewer has signed revisions to the law. Texas Gov. Rick Perry, no liberal, has said he has "concerns with portions of the law passed in Arizona, and believe[s] it would not be the right direction for Texas."

What we are seeing are the first rumblings of a potential movement in favor of immigrant rights. For many years prominent Republicans, including President George W. Bush, have realized that focusing on immigration restriction could be politically costly to the GOP. Many Democrats express the same reservations as Senate Democrats adopt a more hard-line stand against immigrants in their new proposed legislation.

Hispanics, the fastest-growing voting bloc in the United States, could soon start to show just how much economic and political muscle they have.

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Protests against Arizona immigration law go nationwide

(News Terupdate) - Thousands of protesters in cities across the United States waved American flags as they rallied Saturday against Arizona's tough new immigration law and pushed for national immigration reform.

"Si se puede," "Yes we can" and "Boycott Arizona" were common refrains for groups protesting from Los Angeles, California, to New York City.

May 1 is traditionally a rallying day for supporters of immigration reform. But protesters across the country said they were galvanized by Arizona's recent passage of a law cracking down on illegal immigration.

The new Arizona law requires immigrants to carry their alien registration documents at all times and requires police to question people if there is reason to suspect they are in the United States illegally. Critics say it will lead to discrimination and racial profiling.

But Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has said the law is necessary because the federal government has failed to enforce border security with Mexico, allowing hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants to move into the state. She said changes to the law she approved Friday, which clarify that police could only stop suspected illegal immigrants while enforcing some other law or ordinance, should eliminate concerns about racial profiling.

But criticism of the law was clear among tens of thousands of protesters flooding the streets of Los Angeles on Saturday, where organizers said they hoped to send a strong message with the number of people turning out.

"Does my face look illegal?" one sign read.

Karen Rayner, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department, said 50,000 people marched at the demonstration's peak. Rayner said the rally was "very peaceful" and no one was arrested.

Police arrested about 20 protesters -- including a U.S. congressman -- at Saturday's rally in Washington.

Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Illinois, was among a group of protesters who were arrested for blocking the sidewalk outside the White House in what they said was a planned act of civil disobedience. The protesters wore T-shirts that read "ARREST ME NOT MY FAMILY" and "ARREST ME NOT MY FRIENDS."

A smaller group of about 200 people rallied outside the State Capitol in Phoenix, protesting the new law and asking the federal government to step in to stop it.

About 1,000 people gathered in New York City's Union Square on Saturday afternoon.

Cesar Mack, an international studies student at City College of New York, told CNN he was an undocumented immigrant from Peru.

"I've been living in this country six years and I'm still fighting for immigration reform," he said.

CNN iReporter Julio Ortiz-Teissonniere said he saw signs in Arabic, French, Spanish and English at the New York rally. One sign in the crowd particularly caught his eye: "Todos somos Arizona" -- "We are all Arizona."

"They were trying to convey that message that it's a city and nation based on immigration. Everybody came from somewhere else," he said.

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Arizona governor signs changes into immigration law

(News Terupdate) - Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed a bill Friday that makes changes to a controversial new state immigration law, saying the changes should ease concerns about racial profiling.

"These changes specifically answer legal questions raised by some who expressed fears that the original law would somehow allow or lead to racial profiling," Brewer said in a statement after the signing. "These new amendments make it crystal clear and undeniable that racial profiling is illegal and will not be tolerated in Arizona."

But opponents challenged that assertion in the run-up to Brewer's signing of the changes into law on Friday.

"It doesn't deter anything," said Dan Pochoda, legal director of the Arizona ACLU. "It's not a serious hurdle."

Pochoda said that law enforcement officers -- under strong pressure to find and remove illegal immigrants -- could still identify people by race and then look for a minor infraction as an excuse to investigate them.

He noted that the authors of the immigration law, passed April 23, also backed the changes to it.

The new Arizona law requires immigrants to carry their alien registration documents at all times and requires police to question people if there is reason to suspect they are in the United States illegally.

Under the law, police would be able to detain an individual based merely on the suspicion that he or she entered the country illegally. But one of the changes -- which had been adopted by state lawmakers Thursday night -- says police could stop suspected illegal immigrants only while enforcing some other law or ordinance.

An officer could only ask about an immigrant's legal status, for example, while investigating that person for speeding, loitering or some other offense.

The new law also makes it a state crime to live in or travel through Arizona illegally. And it targets those who hire illegal immigrant day laborers or knowingly transport them.

University of Arizona law professor Gabriel Chin told CNN that the changes to the bill are significant, insofar as they help remove a "huge disincentive for victims and witnesses to cooperate with the police."

Under the original version of the law, he said, police officers would have been obligated to arrest a suspected illegal immigrant who approached them after being victimized. That would not be the case under the revised law.

Arizona's law originally said that the attorney general or a county attorney cannot investigate complaints based "solely" on factors such as a person's race, color or national origin. The changes enacted Friday remove the word "solely" to emphasize that prosecutors must have some reason other than an individual's race or national origin to investigate.

But Chin dismissed the significance of that change. Both the federal and state constitutions make it clear that you can "never stop someone exclusively on account of race," he said.

Racial profiling would still occur, he said. "It's always 'race plus' in these situations. ... The law still allows the consideration of race as a factor."

Defenders of the law -- angry over the charges of racism permeating the debate -- say it is needed because the federal government has failed to enforce border security with Mexico, allowing hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants to move into in the state.

"Illegal is illegal," Arizona state Sen. Russell Pearce, the controversial statute's primary sponsor, told CNN Friday. "Illegal's not a race, it's a crime. ... And in Arizona, we're going to enforce" the law.

Pearce accused President Barack Obama, a critic of the measure, of "aiding and abetting criminal activity, inciting criminal activity, inciting violence, and [violating his] oath of office to secure this border, enforce these laws and defend the American people."

Some analysts said that Arizona was compelled to adopt the amendments in reaction to a growing movement among civil rights activists and others to launch an economic boycott of the state. On Friday, two San Francisco, California, officials wrote a three-page letter to Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig to ask that the 2011 All-Star Game be moved from Phoenix, Arizona, if the law is not repealed.

The overall law has drawn sharp scrutiny from the Justice Department, at least two lawsuits and condemnation from the Mexican government and other Latin American nations. Several prominent entertainers also have spoken out against the measure.

An April 27-28 nationwide Gallup poll, however, found that 51 percent of Americans favor the Arizona law, while only 39 percent oppose it.

The changes to the law are not sufficient and will do little to positively affect daily law enforcement in Arizona, argued Clarissa Martinez De Castro of the National Council of La Raza, a major Latino civil rights organization.

"Even right now, without this law, we know that the practice on the streets is different," she told CNN. "The [current] practice doesn't reflect what the law is. And if the governor is saying that racial profiling is not going to be tolerated, why has it been tolerated so far?"

About 500,000 unauthorized immigrants were believed to live in Arizona in 2008, and 11.9 million nationwide, up from 3.5 million nationwide in 1990, according to a Pew Hispanic Center report published in 2009.

Protests against the Arizona law are scheduled Saturday in at least 21 states, the District of Columbia and two Canadian provinces. In all, protests are planned for 47 cities.

The changes to the law will take effect along with the rest of the statute in 90 days.

"It goes back to the federal government," Martinez told CNN. "If they abdicate their responsibility, they leave state and local governments to grapple with this issue, and the only thing that happens is that we create greater chaos. ... This is just not the way forward."

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Group plans protests for immigrants' rights as immigration law changes

(News Terupdate) - Demonstrations in support of immigrants' rights are scheduled Saturday in at least 21 states, the District of Columbia and two Canadian provinces. In all, protests are planned for 47 cities.

The demonstrations come amid a swirl of controversy surrounding a new immigration law in Arizona that allows police to demand proof of legal residency. Arizona lawmakers say the law is needed because the federal government has failed to enforce border security with Mexico, allowing more than 450,000 illegal immigrants to move into in the state.

Critics say the law is unconstitutional and will lead to racial profiling, which is illegal. But Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer and others who support SB1070 say it does not involve profiling or other illegal acts.

The Arizona legislature passed a series of changes to the law late Thursday in an attempt to address the accusations that the measure will lead to profiling.

The law, which does not go into effect for 90 days, has already drawn at least two lawsuits and condemnation from the Mexican government and other Latin American nations. Prominent entertainers, including Shakira and Linda Ronstadt, also have spoken out against the law.

Some critics are calling for a boycott of Arizona, urging that tourists stay away and that no one do business with companies in the state.

On Friday, two San Francisco, California, officials wrote a three-page letter to Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig to ask that the 2011 All-Star Game be moved from Phoenix, Arizona, if the law is not repealed.

The Major League Baseball Players Association, the players' union, is also voicing its disapproval of the law.

"The recent passage by Arizona of a new immigration law could have a negative impact on hundreds of Major League players who are citizens of countries other than the United States," Michael Weiner, executive director of the association, said in a prepared statement Friday.

"These international players are very much a part of our national pastime and are important members of our Association. Their contributions to our sport have been invaluable, and their exploits have been witnessed, enjoyed and applauded by millions of Americans. All of them, as well as the Clubs for whom they play, have gone to great lengths to ensure full compliance with federal immigration law. ...

"The Major League Baseball Players Association opposes this law as written. We hope that the law is repealed or modified promptly. If the current law goes into effect, the MLBPA will consider additional steps necessary to protect the rights and interests of our members."

Also Friday, National Urban League President Marc Morial announced that the civil rights organization is suspending consideration of Phoenix -- which had submitted a bid -- as the location for its 2012 conference "as long as this unfortunate law remains in effect."

"The law is repugnant not just to people of color but to all Americans who value fairness, decency, and justice," said Morial, who added that no site in the state would be considered unless the law is repealed or overturned.

The organization is expected to announce the winning location for the convention at its 2010 conference in late July.

In addition, the African-American Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity announced it is pulling its July 2010 convention from Phoenix and moving it to Las Vegas, Nevada, because of what its board called "the egregious immigration act signed recently by the governor of Arizona."

"It was the full opinion of the board that we could not host a meeting in a state that has sanctioned a law which we believe will lead to racial profiling and discrimination, and a law that could put the civil rights and the very dignity of our members at risk during their stay in Phoenix, Arizona," the fraternity's board said.

Though perhaps not as vocal, the law also has plenty of supporters. Some have launched a "BUYcott," in which they urge people to spend money in the state to support the measure. Backers applaud Arizona legislators for taking seriously their concerns about illegal immigration and crime.

Arizona's new law requires immigrants to carry their registration documents at all times and mandates that police question people if there is reason to suspect they're in the United States illegally. The measure makes it a state crime to live in or travel through Arizona illegally.

It also targets those who hire illegal immigrant day laborers or knowingly transport them.

Brewer signed the law last week, and the legislature changed some language in it Thursday night in an attempt to make it less ambiguous as to how and when people can be questioned about their residency.

Brewer signed the changes into law Friday, saying they will ease concerns about racial profiling.

According to the bill the governor signed April 23, police would be able to detain an individual based merely on the suspicion that he or she entered the country illegally. A change that legislators approved Thursday night, however, says police could check on residency status only while enforcing some other law or ordinance. An officer could ask about an immigrant's status, for example, while investigating that person for speeding, loitering or some other offense.

In addition, the law says Arizona's attorney general or a county attorney cannot investigate complaints based "solely" on factors such as a person's race, color or national origin. The changes that legislators approved Thursday night would remove the word "solely," to emphasize that prosecutors must have some reason other than an individual's race or national origin to investigate.

Read the full text of Senate Bill 1070 (PDF)

The Arizona law will be the focus of Saturday's May Day immigration demonstrations, which have been held yearly since 2006.

Eleven protests are scheduled in California, with two in Los Angeles. New York has eight protests slated, including five in New York City.

In Canada, demonstrations are planned in Toronto and Vancouver.

The protests are being organized by the National Immigrant Solidarity Network and are being billed as "May Day 2010 -- National Mobilization for Immigrant Workers Rights."

Demonstrators want immigration reform that will lead to an easier path toward legal residency and citizenship.

"We have an immigration system that has been neglected for 30 years," said Clarissa Martinez of the National Council of La Raza. The Arizona law is not the answer, she said.

"That leads to greater chaos over that broken system," Martinez told CNN.

President Obama has called on Congress to pass a comprehensive immigration reform law this year. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and other top Democratic senators unveiled the outlines of that legislation late Thursday.

But House Minority Leader John Boehner said at a briefing Thursday that "there's not a chance" that Congress will approve the measure this year, especially after the recent passage of health care reform.

Obama conceded this week that immigration reform is not likely this year.

The Arizona law has raised concerns in Mexico and throughout Latin America, U.S. officials say.

"It comes up ... in every meeting we have with the region," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Thursday. "We are hearing the concerns of the hemisphere loud and clear."

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the United States will work to "understand and mitigate" Mexico's concerns. The Arizona law, she said, will be on the agenda when Mexican President Felipe Calderon visits Washington on May 19.

One of the two lawsuits against SB1070 was filed Thursday by a police officer in Tucson, Arizona, who asked that local law enforcement be exempt from enforcing the measure. Officer Martin H. Escobar says in the federal suit that the law will "seriously impede law enforcement investigations and facilitate the successful commission of crimes."

The National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders also filed a federal lawsuit Thursday.

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Arizona and the National Immigration Law Center said Thursday they also plan to jointly file a lawsuit.

Supporters of SB1070 cite high levels of illegal immigration and crimes committed by unauthorized immigrants as a reason for the new law.

"Border violence and crime due to illegal immigration are critically important issues to the people of our state," Brewer said at the bill signing. "There is no higher priority than protecting the citizens of Arizona. We cannot sacrifice our safety to the murderous greed of the drug cartels. We cannot stand idly by as drop houses, kidnappings and violence compromise our quality of life."

But statistics from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency and the FBI indicate that both the number of illegal immigrants and violent crime have decreased in the state in recent years.

According to FBI statistics, violent crimes in Arizona dropped by nearly 1,500 reported incidents between 2005 and 2008. Reported property crimes also fell during the same period, from about 287,000 reported incidents to 279,000. These decreases are accentuated by the fact that Arizona's population grew by 600,000 people between 2005 and 2008.

According to the nonpartisan Immigration Policy Institute, proponents of the bill "overlook two salient points: crime rates have already been falling in Arizona for years despite the presence of unauthorized immigrants, and a century's worth of research has demonstrated that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes or be behind bars than the native-born."

Federal officials estimate there are about 10.8 million illegal immigrants in the United States, of which about 6.6 million come from Mexico and 760,000 from the rest of Latin America. About 1 million come from Asia.

Arizona, which is on the Mexican border, has about 460,000 undocumented immigrants, the federal government says. At least five other states, including California with 2.6 million, have more undocumented immigrants, the government says. The other states with more illegal immigrants than Arizona are Texas, Florida, New York and Georgia.

A Pew Research Center survey late last year found that Americans believe Latinos are discriminated against more than any other major racial or ethnic group in American society.

The Pew survey also indicated that about one-third of the nation's Latinos say they or someone they know has experienced discrimination. About 9 percent said they had been stopped by police or other authorities and asked about their immigration status in the year before the survey.

Fifty-seven percent of those surveyed said they worried that they, a family member or a close friend could be deported.

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Crime stats test rationale behind Arizona immigration law

(News Terupdate) - High levels of illegal immigration and crimes committed by unauthorized immigrants are among the key rationales cited by some supporters of a tough new immigration law in Arizona.

"Border violence and crime due to illegal immigration are critically important issues to the people of our state," Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said at the signing of the controversial bill, SB 1070. "There is no higher priority than protecting the citizens of Arizona. We cannot sacrifice our safety to the murderous greed of the drug cartels. We cannot stand idly by as drop houses, kidnappings and violence compromise our quality of life."

Yet, a look at statistics from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency and the FBI indicate that both the number of illegal crossers and violent crime in general have actually decreased in the past several years.

According to FBI statistics, violent crimes reported in Arizona dropped by nearly 1,500 reported incidents between 2005 and 2008. Reported property crimes also fell, from about 287,000 reported incidents to 279,000 in the same period. These decreases are accentuated by the fact that Arizona's population grew by 600,000 between 2005 and 2008.

According to the nonpartisan Immigration Policy Institute, proponents of the bill "overlook two salient points: Crime rates have already been falling in Arizona for years despite the presence of unauthorized immigrants, and a century's worth of research has demonstrated that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes or be behind bars than the native-born."

Backers of the bill maintain that crime is a key reason for the necessity of the tough immigration law.

Arizona state Sen. Russell Pearce this week told CNN's Tony Harris that half the murders in Phoenix are committed by unauthorized immigrants and that the city is the second in the world in kidnappings.

A CNN Fact Check found that the senator's claim about the murders in Phoenix cannot be proven, but he did have police statistics to back up his claims of the city's high number of kidnappings, although its exact standing in the world is not clear.

In Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, Sheriff Joe Arpaio has long been an advocate of tough measures against illegal immigration. His officers already check the immigration status of people they detain for other crimes, he said.

"We've been doing it for a long time, but this [law] gives us just a little more authority," Arpaio told CNN.

One way that Arpaio says he measures his success is that he hears that immigrants who entered the country illegally are leaving his county.

"It's a good indicator," he said.

Statewide illegal immigration trends are harder to gauge.

One aspect of it is the number of apprehensions of unauthorized immigrants made by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency. Since a peak in 2000 of more than 600,000 illegal crossers apprehended, the number fell to 241,000 in 2009, Tucson Sector Public Affairs Officer Mario Escalante told CNN.

"We've seen a steady decline," he said.

Intelligence-driven operations have increased the effectiveness of the Border Patrol's efforts, he added.

Meanwhile, the cartel violence that has gripped Mexico for the most part has remained there, he said.

Human and drug smugglers are being "more aggressive because we're being successful," Escalante said, "But we've been lucky not to see that type of [violence] spill over here."

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Arizona police officer sues over immigration law

(News Terupdate) - A police officer in Tucson, Arizona, asks that local law enforcement be exempt from enforcing the state's new immigration law in a lawsuit filed in federal court on Thursday.

Officer Martin H. Escobar claims in the suit that the law will "seriously impede law enforcement investigations and facilitate the successful commission of crimes."

He also says there are no "race-neutral criteria or basis to suspect or identify who is lawfully in the United States," including a person's proximity to the Mexican border, linguistic characteristics and capabilities, skin color, clothing worn or the type of vehicle driven.

The law, signed by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer on April 23, allows police to ask anyone for proof of legal U.S. residency. Brewer and others who support the law have said it does not involve racial profiling or any other illegal acts.

"Racial profiling is illegal," Brewer said after signing the bill. "It is illegal in America, and it's certainly illegal in Arizona."

Read the complaint (PDF)

But Escobar's suit says the law "is the product of racial bias aimed specifically at Hispanics" and places every Hispanic within the state at risk of losing his or her constitutional rights.

Brewer, Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard, the city of Tucson and Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall are named in the suit.

Escobar asks that local law enforcement be exempt "from engaging any immigration stops, questioning, detention, citing or any law enforcement activity reserved to the federal government."

Escobar, 45, is a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in Mexico and immigrated with his parents when he was 5 years old, attorney Richard M. Martinez said.

Tucson Police Department spokesman Sgt. Fabian Pacheco declined to comment on the case because city policies prevent employees from discussing pending litigation. But he said Escobar has worked for the department since 1995 and patrols Tucson's south side.

Martinez said his client has spent years working to break down barriers between the Police Department and the predominantly Hispanic community.

"All this law does is put the barrier back up. ... It takes away trust and the rapport and relationships," he said Thursday.

Spokespeople for Brewer and Goddard did not return requests for comment.

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Arizona students speak out on immigration law

Tucson, Arizona (News Terupdate) - It's the week before finals at the University of Arizona in Tucson, and all over campus, students are hunched over books and laptops under the shelter of immense palm trees and sprawled out on the cement benches lining the campus' long, grassy mall, the anticipation palpable.

Elsewhere, in the Cesar Chavez Building, graduate student Francisco Baires sits in a windowless office that could have been a closet in a previous life, immersed in a different kind of work: He is sending a statement condemning Arizona's new anti-illegal immigration law to the media and other opponents of Senate Bill 1070.

"As students, we have a responsibility to fight this law through action and to raise our voices so those in power hear us," he said. "The time has come for us to stop talking about it and be about it."

Baires is one of many student activists in Arizona and across the country leading the charge to kill SB 1070 before it takes effect this summer.

The law requires immigrants to carry their alien registration documents at all times and requires police to question people if there is reason to suspect they're in the United States illegally. It also targets those who hire illegal immigrant day laborers or knowingly transport them.

Tea Partiers to illegal immigrants: 'Sign guestbook'

The letter, which Baires and his cohorts are circulating as a petition, sums up the sentiments of many students.

The 12 students of various ethnicities who spoke with CNN said they did not support the bill, citing concerns that the law would promote racial profiling and foster an environment of fear and paranoia among Hispanics, whether they are in the country legally or not.

"We believe that it is a law based in fear and racism. The law targets not only immigrants, but all Latinos (even those who are U.S. citizens) as well as any U.S. citizen who may associate with members of either group," the letter states. "We want to halt the prejudicial momentum of Arizona's legislators and keep the campus of the University of Arizona a free, safe place for persons of all races, backgrounds and ethnicities."

The students' views are also a microcosm of the broader opposition nationwide to the bill, which Gov. Jan Brewer signed into law Friday, citing concerns over crime and the failure of the federal government to regulate immigration. Dozens of protests have been staged nationwide, including in Tucson, where hundreds gathered outside the state capitol as the bill was being signed.

What will Arizona immigration law do?

"It was incredible to see that the vast majority of those assembled were young people, some as young as high school," professor Roberto Rodriguez said. "To many of them, who may have parents who are illegal or have relatives that live in Mexico, this is more than just a law; this is personal. This is a threat to their families. This could tear them apart."

Students have been at the forefront of the major social movements of the past century, but the advent of social networking tools such as Facebook and Twitter allows them to organize at a faster and more efficient rate.

"The Internet really helps us reach a wide audience with the most up-to-date information," said student coordinator Jessica Mejia, one of many who helped organize the protest at the capitol. "Now that the bill has passed, this is just the beginning."

iReport: Share your thoughts on immigration policy

Some critics of the bill are threatening legal action; others are pledging to boycott travel and business in Arizona unless they overturn the legislation. At the University of Arizona this week, resistance took the form of Immigration Awareness Week, a series of programs and information sessions organized by Mejia and others that included meetings on how the law works and an open forum for students to share their struggles with immigration.

"In my community, everyone has a sense of persecution. We're living in a constant state of fear," said Hector Gonzalez, 21, a Mexican-born U.S. citizen whose family lives in Phoenix. "The law is instilling fear and limiting people from going out and doing chores, which will eventually have a direct economic impact on the community, too."

Even students who support immigration reform called the law ill-conceived.

"I can see how something needs to be done about illegal immigration, but this is taking it too far," said Nick Lunn, a 21-year-old film major. "They say there won't be racial profiling, but I don't see how you can look past it."

Supporters of the bill point to language stating that officers cannot stop someone solely based on race, ethnicity and country of origin.

Read the full text of Senate Bill 1070 (PDF)

But student body representative Tyler Quillin said the word "solely" leaves the door open for race to be among the reasons that influences an officer's decision to detain someone.

"I see a definite separation, a disjoint between Latinos and law enforcement," Quillin said. "Like they said on 'Saturday Night Live,' there's nothing more Nazi than 'Can I see your papers?' "

People also worry that the law will further marginalize undocumented immigrants by discouraging them from reporting crimes, accidents or injuries.

"It really worries me that this will increase public health issues and make them worse for women and children who might too scared of being deported to go to the hospital or to police if something happens to them," said Grecia Ramirez, a public health major. "It really scares me to think about the long-term implications of this bill."

Ramirez and other students said they planned to continue attending protests such as the one Baires and his collaborators are setting up Wednesday, when they plan to present their petition to the school's president to sign.

"We want him to publicly state his support for our position in a show of solidarity," he said. "We need to come together to fight this. There's strength in numbers."

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Rights groups announce challenge to new Arizona immigration law

(News Terupdate) - Four groups that advocate for immigrant rights said Thursday they will challenge Arizona's new immigration law, which allows police to ask anyone for proof of legal U.S. residency.

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Arizona and the National Immigration Law Center held a news conference Thursday in Phoenix to announce the legal challenge.

"The Arizona community can be assured that a vigorous and sophisticated legal challenge will be mounted, in advance of SB1070's implementation, seeking to prevent this unconstitutional and discriminatory law from ever taking effect," said Thomas A. Saenz, president of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, known as MALDEF.

"This law will only make the rampant racial profiling of Latinos that is already going on in Arizona much worse," said Alessandra Soler Meetze, executive director of the ACLU of Arizona. "If this law were implemented, citizens would effectively have to carry 'their papers' at all times to avoid arrest. It is a low point in modern America when a state law requires police to demand documents from people on the street."

Republican Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed the law last week. It goes into effect 90 days after the close of the legislative session, which has not been determined.

Brewer and others who support the law say it does not involve racial profiling or any other illegal acts.

"Racial profiling is illegal," Brewer said after signing the bill Friday. "It is illegal in America, and it's certainly illegal in Arizona."

The National Coalition Of Latino Clergy & Christian Leaders said Sunday it also planned legal action.

"Our churches and pastors in Arizona are outraged about the significant threat this anti-immigrant law will have in the lives of Arizona's Latinos," said the Rev. Miguel Rivera, the group's chairman.

"This policy violates the rights of American citizens, particularly the fast-growing Latino population of Arizona, by eliminating the basic right of due process, which we are certain that the courts will agree," Rivera said.

The law requires immigrants to carry their alien registration documents at all times and requires police to question people if there is reason to suspect they're in the United States illegally. The measure makes it a state crime to live or travel through Arizona illegally.

It also targets those who hire illegal immigrant day laborers or knowingly transport them.

In addition to signing the law, Brewer also issued an executive order that requires training for local officers on how to implement the law without engaging in racial profiling or discrimination.

"This training will include what does and does not constitute reasonable suspicion that a person is not legally present in the United States," she said.

Some officials in Arizona have expressed their displeasure with the measure. Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon said Thursday that he is "very disappointed."

He said he is concerned that calls to boycott Arizona businesses and tourism will harm the state.

"I'm very incredulous that our state leaders -- our so-called leaders -- have allowed our state to be split when we're suffering economic hardships," Gordon told CNN.

Other critics say the bill is unconstitutional and will trample residents' civil rights.

"Quite simply, this law is a civil rights disaster and an insult to American values," said Mary Bauer, legal director of the Southern Poverty Law Center. "No one in our country should be required to produce their 'papers' or demand to prove their innocence. What kind of country are we becoming?"

But a national Republican leader said Thursday that Arizona is just filling a void left by the federal government.

"I think the people of Arizona have a right to pass their laws under the 10th Amendment," House Minority Leader John Boehner said. "I think it is clearly a result of the federal government's failure to secure our border and to enforce our laws."

Gordon said the real solution is comprehensive immigration reform that would allow more immigrants to legally enter the United States.

"This law doesn't accomplish that," he said. "It doesn't do anything on that."

President Obama has called on Congress to pass a comprehensive immigration reform law this year. CNN has learned that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and other top Democratic senators will unveil the outlines of that legislation late Thursday.

But Boehner said at a briefing Thursday that "there's not a chance" that Congress will approve the measure this year, especially after the recent passage of a health care reform bill.

"I've been out here for a little while and know that in the middle of an election year, after we've had bills like health care shoved down our throats and the process twisted, tortured, pressured, bribed, you cannot do a serious piece of legislation of this size, with this difficulty, in this environment," he said. "And it's nothing more than a cynical ploy to try and engage voters, some segment of voters, to show up in this November's elections."

The Arizona measure has drawn sharp criticism from the Mexican government, which issued an advisory to its citizens this week. The secretary general of the Organization of American States and some member states also expressed concerns about the law Wednesday.

"This is an issue of concern to all citizens of the Americas, beginning with the citizens of the United States, a country with a very rich tradition of immigration and respect for immigrants who have come to lead a better life," OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza said. "The rich tradition we all admire, of recognizing immigrants in the United States, has been harmed, undermined."

The uproar caused by the law has even spread to the nation's pastime. Protesters plan to demonstrate against the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team Thursday outside Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois.

In Arizona, two popular singers also will voice their opposition.

Grammy Award-winning Colombian singer Shakira is scheduled to meet with Gordon on Thursday evening.

Singer-songwriter Linda Ronstadt, an Arizona native of Mexican and German descent, also attended the Thursday afternoon rally with the immigrant rights groups.

"What Gov. Brewer signed into law last week is a piece of legislation that threatens the very heart of this great state," Ronstadt said. "We must come together and stop SB1070 from pitting neighbor against neighbor to the detriment of us all."

Federal officials estimate there are about 10.8 million illegal immigrants in the United States, of which about 6.6 million come from Mexico and 760,000 from the rest of Latin America. About 1 million come from Asia.

Arizona, which is on the Mexican border, has about 460,000 undocumented immigrants, the federal government says. At least five other states, including California, with 2.6 million, have more undocumented immigrants, the government says.

The other states with more illegal immigrants than Arizona are Texas, Florida, New York and Georgia.

A Pew Research Center survey late last year found that Americans believe Latinos are discriminated against more than any other major racial or ethnic group in American society.

The Pew survey also indicated that about one-third of the nation's Latinos say they or someone they know has experienced discrimination. About 9 percent said they had been stopped by police or other authorities and asked about their immigration status in the year before the survey.

Fifty-seven percent of those surveyed said they worried that they, a family member or a close friend could be deported.

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Latino businesses feel pinch of new immigration law

Phoenix, Arizona (News Terupdate) - Hector Manrique takes a look around his taqueria and sighs. It's 3:30 in the afternoon, and usually around this time at least five or six tables are occupied by day laborers fresh off work, or schoolchildren and families in search of a torta or taco after school.

But today, Taqueria Guadalajara's plastic lawn chairs and tables are empty, and so is the tip jar on the counter. Street traffic in this predominantly Hispanic neighborhood of Phoenix, Arizona, is also lighter than usual, says Manrique, who opened the casual Mexican eatery in 2003.

Not even a week has passed since Gov. Jan Brewer signed into law tough measures targeting illegal immigrants, but Manrique and others who own businesses that cater primarily to Phoenix's large Hispanic community say they are already feeling the effects.

"I think they're afraid of being out on the streets knowing they're going to get pulled over by the sheriff," says Manrique, a Mexican-born U.S. citizen who has lived in Phoenix since the 1990s. "A lot of people told me they're afraid to go out even though the law's not fully passed."

The governor's signing of the bill has ignited a firestorm of debate in Arizona, with activists on both sides of the issue clamoring to keep the issue alive. If the new law withstands the numerous legal challenges being threatened, it could take effect as soon as August.

Opinion: Law brings big risks for Arizona

Supporters say the law will temper the negative effects of immigration, such as crime and the misuse of taxpayer dollars to fund health care and education needs of illegal immigrants.

Opponents fear that the "reasonable suspicion" standard applied to enforcing the bill will create a climate that fosters fear and condones racial profiling, drawing comparisons to fascism and apartheid.

On Monday, Brewer deflected concerns that the state's new immigration law will hurt economic development, saying many businesses have long wanted tougher action.

Manrique says customers started to become scarce a few weeks ago, when news surfaced that the bill was likely to pass. Then came Friday, the day Brewer signed the legislation.

"The streets just went empty. Usually on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, we're packed. But this weekend was empty like I'd never seen it before," Manrique said.

Cafferty: Arizona law is working already

Across town, Jose Rivas' bodega offers customers a money wiring teller, a butcher counter and a wide variety of Mexican brands of cookies, beverages and household goods. He said his business also is taking a hit, and that the effects could be long-term.

"Ours is a culture that consumes a lot -- food, drinks, clothes, you name it," said Rivas, periodically stopping to greet or wave at a customer. "If no one's out shopping, how can I afford to employ my workers? They're all here legally. What happens to them?"

Ernesto Tercero, a first-generation Arizonan whose family is from Mexico, owns a meat distribution company that supplies dozens of stores in Phoenix. He says SB 1070 is a slap in the face to the Hispanic community.

"These people came here because they were told that there were jobs. They were brought here under promises of work, the American dream, and for many years we kept the dream alive," he said.

Arizona Tea Partier: "Illegal is not a race"

Tercero, a tall, outspoken man whose gregarious manner underscores his deep connection to the community, noted that Hispanics both legal and illegal are considering leaving Arizona to avoid confrontations with law enforcement.

"They got people who've been here 20 years, they got kids, people who came when their kids were 3, 4 years old. Now they're 20 years old. They can't go back to Mexico. They've never even been to Mexico."

Growing up in Phoenix, Tercero recalls a time when Spanish was discouraged from being spoken in schools and Hispanics were limited in the jobs they could pursue and the places they could live.

Since then, self-made businessmen like Tercero, Rivas and Manrique have become models of success in Phoenix's small business community, said Todd Landfried, a spokesman for Arizona Employers for Immigration Reform.

"This law punishes local business owners who make a living catering to a Latino market," Landfried said. "They've done everything expected of them. So why are they the ones getting punished?"

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Huge risks of Arizona immigration law

(News Terupdate) - With her signature Friday on Senate Bill 1070, Gov. Jan Brewer launched Arizona into a maelstrom of national controversy, community conflict and extreme fiscal risk.

In doing so, she failed a basic test of courageous leadership -- recognizing and acting responsibly when political symbolism and populist pandering crosses into dangerous policy. The governor should have known better, if only because recent history demonstrates the folly in enacting measures like Arizona's SB 1070.

SB 1070 will be subject to multiple legal challenges, and the state will devote precious resources to defend a law that has so many serious constitutional flaws that it will likely never be implemented. The neighboring state of California faced this circumstance 15 years ago when Gov. Pete Wilson championed Proposition 187, enacted by voters in November 1994.

Over half a dozen lawsuits were on file within days of the law's passage. A federal court soon enjoined all but two minor sections of the initiative, and the vast bulk of the law never took effect.

Yet, California not only paid a lot of state lawyers to defend these suits -- and ultimately paid much of the plaintiffs' attorneys' fees as well -- but also had to divert bureaucrats throughout state government from their other tasks to analyze and plan how to implement a law that could never be implemented. Today, California could certainly use the tens of millions of dollars expended so many years ago vainly defending Proposition 187.

Moreover, even though Proposition 187 was never implemented, California suffered other repercussions besides the waste of limited state financial resources. Community conflict increased as some interpreted the initiative's passage as license for private individuals to harass and interrogate those they believed to be undocumented, which then, as now, was usually based on racial stereotype.

In addition, support of Proposition 187 did not help Pete Wilson's political career, as naturalizations rose and an increasing number of angry Latino voters mobilized to oppose the governor and the political party that championed such a negative initiative. Today, so many years later, the political sins of Wilson continue to be visited upon the heads of California politicians from his political party.

Coincidentally, Arizona's SB 1070 suffers from many of the same constitutional flaws as California's Proposition 187. In particular, the claim that felled the California initiative applies in even greater measure to the Arizona bill. The federal court struck down Proposition 187 as an unconstitutional attempt to regulate immigration, which is a role that belongs exclusively to the federal government.

SB 1070 is an even more direct attempt to establish the state's own immigration law and enforcement scheme. Indeed, what we have seen since Friday is the usual pivot by those who propose and support unconstitutional laws like SB 1070.

Sen. Russell Pearce and others who support the bill are now arguing it does nothing but reiterate existing federal law and that the law is legitimate because police officers always had "inherent authority" to enforce federal immigration law. Their assertions are dubious as a legal matter because of the very weak support for the "inherent authority" notion and because, in the area of immigration, the states lack even the right to duplicate federal law word-for-word.

Beyond this, I am certain that neither Sen. Pearce nor Gov. Brewer would actually go into their next election campaigns asserting they expended significant time and state resources on a bill that does nothing to change existing law and authority.

They and other proponents have at various times maintained, in more or less blatant contradiction of their rhetorical defense of the law's constitutional propriety, that SB 1070 is a much-needed change in current law that will strengthen Arizona.

In fact, the pre-enactment characterization more accurately reflects the bill's effects: SB 1070 would dramatically change every Arizonan's daily experience, especially anyone whose appearance, name, language or accent fits the stereotype of the undocumented.

It is this invitation or direction to police to engage in racial profiling, together with the state's unconstitutional attempt to regulate immigration, that makes it unlikely that SB 1070 can ever be implemented. Nonetheless, Arizona will experience extreme and dire consequences, just as California experienced a decade-and-a-half ago.

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Holder: Federal court challenge to new immigration law possible

Washington (News Terupdate) - A federal court challenge to a new Arizona law aimed at curbing illegal immigration isn't out of the question, Attorney General Eric Holder said Tuesday.

Holder said that the Justice Department was working with the Department of Homeland Security to "decide exactly how we are going to react to it."

"We are considering all possibilities, including the possibility of a court challenge," Holder told reporters during questions at a news conference, at which he had announced a settlement with pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca over its marketing of an anti-psychotic drug.

"I think that [Arizona's] law is an unfortunate one," he said. "I think that it is, I fear, subject to potential abuse. And I'm very concerned about the wedge that it could draw between communities that law enforcement is supposed to serve and those of us in law enforcement. "

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who served as Arizona's governor until she took the position with the Obama administration, told a Senate panel Tuesday that she has "deep concerns" with the law.

Napolitano said she fears it would siphon away resources that would otherwise be used to pursue individuals who commit major crimes while in the country illegally.

"I think these kinds of laws are not value-added to law enforcement," she told the Senate Judiciary Committee. "There's a reason most law enforcement groups ... oppose them."

They put an "undue barrier" between victims of crime and law enforcement officials, she said.

Napolitano, who served as Arizona's governor before joining President Obama's Cabinet, refused to offer an opinion on the constitutionality of the law.

The new law requires Arizona police to determine whether people are in the United States legally if there is a reason to suspect they aren't. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, a Republican, signed the controversial legislation into law Friday. Supporters say it is needed to control illegal immigration.

The law, scheduled to go into effect 90 days after the close of the state's legislative session, would require immigrants to carry their alien registration documents at all times. Currently, officers can check someone's immigration status only if that person is suspected in another crime.

Critics say the law could foster racial profiling and prompt businesses, conventions and tourists to stay away from the state.

The bill has prompted rallies by opponents and supporters, and some prominent politicians in Washington and Arizona have criticized the measure. Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, a Democrat, has said he'll file a lawsuit to block the law.

Last week, Obama called the legislation "misguided" and said the federal government must act on the immigration issue.

"Our failure to act responsible at the federal level will only open the door to irresponsibility by others. That includes, for example, the recent efforts in Arizona, which threaten to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans, as well as the trust between police and their communities that is so crucial to keeping us safe," he said.

Napolitano told the Judiciary Committee members that the "passage of laws like [Arizona's] at the state level indicate the need to move forward with comprehensive immigration reform."

But Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, blamed federal authorities for undermining the push for comprehensive immigration reform by failing to more effectively secure the Mexican border.

"Our borders are broken ... [and] there's a war going on" with drug cartels in Mexico that is spilling over into the United States, he argued.

"Good people are so afraid of an out-of-control border that they had to resort to a law [in Arizona] that I think is unconstitutional," he said. The federal government has to prove "that we can secure our borders" before Congress can pass an immigration reform bill.

Over the weekend, Graham withdrew his support for what had been a bipartisan plan to pass climate change legislation because, he claimed, Democrats were trying to ram through a polarizing immigration reform bill.

Some political observers have said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, is trying to push a reform plan in order to boost his standing among Hispanic voters and bolster his re-election prospects in November.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, acknowledged Tuesday that congressional Democrats are divided over how to proceed with an immigration reform bill. He also said House members are expecting the Senate to take the lead in crafting a proposal.

"In part, of course, what the people of Arizona are saying is that the feds haven't done their job. I think they're right," he said.

But Hoyer criticized the new state law, arguing that it is "very inconsistent with past practices in America. ... We don't go around asking people for I.D. cards."

He said it is "very difficult to see how that's going to be carried out in a way that's consistent with the civil liberties of citizens."

Napolitano acknowledged that more work has to be done along the southern border, but she also expressed frustration with GOP arguments on border security. She claimed that the overall situation has improved and questioned whether the goal of "securing the border" could ever be fully reached.

Napolitano declined to provide a direct answer when asked whether the Arizona law could negatively impact race relations. But "if this law goes into effect," she warned, "there are a lot of questions about what the real impact on the street will be."

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New immigration law won't hurt economy, Arizona governor says

(News Terupdate) - Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer on Monday deflected concerns that the state's new immigration law will hurt economic development, saying many businesses have long wanted tougher action.

The new law requires Arizona police to determine whether people are in the United States legally if there is a reason to suspect they aren't. Brewer signed the controversial legislation into law on Friday.

"The bottom line is that when I go about meeting with businesses that come into Arizona ... they want to know that we have a safe and secure environment into which to move their businesses here," Brewer said at an Arizona Town Hall event in Tucson. "They want to know that their employees are going to have a quality of life that they've had in the places where they're moving from to move here."

"I believe it's not going to have the kind of economic impact that some people think that it might," Brewer, a Republican, said.

The law, scheduled to go into effect 90 days after the close of the state's legislative session, would require immigrants to carry their alien registration documents at all times. Previously, officers could check someone's immigration status only if that person was suspected in another crime.

Critics say the law could foster racial profiling and prompt businesses, conventions and tourists to stay away from the state. The bill has prompted rallies by opponents and supporters, and some prominent politicians in Washington and Arizona have criticized the measure, including Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, who has said he'll file a lawsuit to block the law.

People have been protesting the bill outside the state Capitol since Friday, CNN affiliate KTVK reported.

"People are going to be stopped just because of the color of [their] skin. And it ain't right," protester Jose Acosta told CNN on Sunday. "Are they going to be looking for Europeans as well, or is it just the brown people?"

Supporters say the measure is needed because the federal government has failed to enforce its own immigration laws. In Tucson on Monday, Brewer said she has written to the federal government five times about the issue in the past year and a half.

"[The letters] have been met with complete, total disrespect to the people of Arizona. I mean, we don't even get an answer back from our letters in regard to securing our border," Brewer said. "So, given that, I think it was time that Arizonans did step up, and that was one reason why I think that [the new state legislation] was signed."

Brewer emphasized an executive order she issued last week to accompany the law will require additional training for local officers on how to implement the law without engaging in racial profiling.

"I want you all to know that racial profiling is illegal. It's the law," she said Monday. "We are going to be very diligent, and we're going to make absolutely sure that that law ... will be implemented properly and respectfully."

Gordon, Phoenix's mayor and a Democrat, said his office hopes the City Council will authorize the city to file a lawsuit Tuesday.

"Convention [and] tourist business groups have already gotten dozens of calls. We're pleading with them not to boycott Phoenix or the state because of [the bill]," Gordon said Monday on CNN's "The Situation Room." "There will be court challenges. I'm confident that the federal courts will enjoin it at least until it is determined [whether it's] constitutional and how to enforce it so that officers don't get sued by individuals alleging civil rights violations."

President Obama last week called the legislation "misguided" and said the federal government must act on the immigration issue.

"Our failure to act responsible at the federal level will only open the door to irresponsibility by others. That includes, for example, the recent efforts in Arizona, which threaten to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans, as well as the trust between police and their communities that is so crucial to keeping us safe," the president said in Washington at a naturalization ceremony for 24 members of the military.

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Hundreds protest immigration law in Arizona

Phoenix, Arizona (News Terupdate) - Hundreds of people gathered outside Arizona's Capitol building on Sunday in a largely peaceful protest against the state's tough new immigration law.

Chanting "Yes we can," waving American flags and holding signs reading "We have rights" and "We are human," demonstrators kept up a festive spirit as they denounced the bill signed Friday by Gov. Jan Brewer.

The new law requires police to determine whether a person is in the United States legally. It also requires immigrants to carry their alien registration documents at all times and requires police to question people if there is reason to suspect they're in the United States illegally.

Protesters worry that the law will foster racial profiling.

"What is 'reasonable suspicion?' " protester Jose Acosta asked Sunday. "Are we going to get pulled over just because of a broken taillight or because of the color of our skin? ... If so, is everybody going to be pulled over?"

Kearny Police Chief Joe Martinez called critics' concerns unfounded, saying the Arizona law enforcement community includes a large number of Hispanics.

"We've never had a policy of racial profiling," Martinez said Saturday night at a town hall meeting in Casa Grande. "In fact, quite the contrary, it's been outlawed."

Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon appeared at the rally in support of the protest, calling the law unconstitutional and "just plain wrong."

"America is a country that is compassionate and that welcomes everyone," he said. "This is not what this country and this state was founded upon."

Gordon vowed to take the fight through the state's judicial system.

"We'll go to the state courts and we'll go to the federal courts and we'll go all the way to the Supreme Court," he told the cheering crowd. "I promise you."

Gordon told CNN on Saturday that he will bring up an item calling for legal action against the law at Tuesday's City Council session.

Others were also vowing this weekend to legally challenge the law.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, along with leaders from the National Action Network and the Hispanic Federation, announced Sunday that he will legally challenge the law.

The law "is an affront to the civil rights of all Americans and an attempt to legalize racial profiling," Sharpton said in a statement after the bill's signing Friday. "As one who helped to make racial profiling a national issue and who has in the last year visited Arizona several times to rally against these draconian immigration policies, I am calling for a coalition of civil rights organizations to work with those in Arizona to resist and overturn this state law."

The National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders, a group that represents 30,000 Latino churches worldwide, also said Saturday it plans to file a lawsuit against the bill.

"In addition to this law being illegal, if this law goes into effect, we expect it to have a dramatic affect on the state with U.S. citizens, legal residents and others moving out of the state out of fear of being singled out," William Sanchez, an immigration attorney representing the coalition, said in a statement.

Source : CNN

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GOP lawmakers seek to halt immigration reform push

Washington (News Terupdate) - Two key Republican lawmakers joined a growing GOP effort Sunday to halt the push for immigration reform, arguing the time is not right to take on the massive and complex issue.

"I'm not sure how you can really justify" trying to tackle immigration or energy reform this year, Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Georgia, told CNN's "State of the Union."

"We've got a lot of work left on our plate between now and the end of the summer. And we're starting on financial regulatory reform. ... I'm not sure where you find the time to deal with these other major issues," Chambliss said, adding that "until you secure the border, trying to really have an overall reform package on immigration just simply can't be done."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, said last week he will make passing a comprehensive immigration bill a priority once the Senate completes its work on a Wall Street reform bill. He cited a controversial new law in Arizona, requiring police to determine whether a person is in the United States legally, as indicating the need for reform on a national level.

Reid's decision followed remarks by President Obama calling on both parties to pass immigration reform. The president has rejected the Arizona law, saying that "if we continue to fail to act at the federal level, we will continue to see misguided efforts opening up around the country."

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, took to "FOX News Sunday" to reject the push for immigration reform.

"I just don't think this is the right time to take up this issue, with the border security problems, the drug wars going on across the border, 10 percent unemployment. It just strikes me that our time would be better spent at the federal level on other issues," he said.

One fellow Republican did not reject the possibility of an immigration battle in the Senate sometime soon.

When asked by NBC's "Meet the Press" whether comprehensive immigration reform might pass this year, Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Alabama, replied "maybe." Asked if it would be a good idea, he replied, "I think we have to look at the details." He added, "First thing we'd better do is enforce our borders and know who is here and who comes and who leaves. That's No.1, and then go into the rest."

The remarks Sunday followed a stunning move by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, who declared Saturday that he was walking out of talks on climate change legislation because of Democratic efforts to bring up an immigration reform package.

"Moving forward on immigration -- in this hurried, panicked manner -- is nothing more than a cynical political ploy," Graham wrote in a sharply worded letter sent to business, religious and conservation leaders with whom he has been working on the climate change legislation.

Graham had worked with Sen. John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, and Sen. Joe Lieberman, independent from Connecticut, on drafting a climate change bill that was scheduled to be unveiled at a news conference Monday. After Graham's announcement, Kerry and Lieberman postponed the news conference. They pledged to continue working on the issue and expressed hope Graham would again join them.

Democrats backed up Reid on the Sunday political talk shows. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, told CNN he believes it is possible for Congress to take on both climate change and immigration after financial reform.

Menendez slammed the Arizona law, saying, "it is fundamentally wrong to be a second-class citizen just because you have a certain accent or you look a certain way. That's what Arizona is pursuing. That's why we need comprehensive immigration reform to secure our borders."

Such reform "is about economic interests, it's about security interests," he added.

Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Connecticut, echoed that on "Meet the Press." Calling the Arizona law "outrageous," he noted that states across the country are developing their own separate rules. "It's demanding a national answer to immigration policy. So before this even gets further out of hand, we've got to step up and do the job."

Supporters of the Arizona measure have called it a step in the right direction, taking action to deal with the challenge of millions of illegal immigrants in the country. "We in Arizona have been more than patient waiting for Washington to act," Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said Sunday. "Decades of federal inaction and misguided policy have created a dangerous and unacceptable situation."

McConnell declined to weigh in on the bill Sunday, saying, "I haven't studied it. I know it's quite controversial. But studying a state law is not something I normally do."

Chambliss said, "If that's what the people of Arizona want to do, then certainly they have that right."

With midterm elections set for November, Republicans and Democrats are charging each other with taking positions based more on politics than policy.

Democrats have privately charged that Graham is trying to put the brakes on an immigration bill in order to protect his longtime friend, Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona. A spokesman for Graham called that charge "nonsense." McCain has previously supported immigration reform, and now faces a re-election battle against former Rep. J.D. Hayworth, a GOP primary opponent who has made his tough stance on border security and immigration one of his signature issues.

Reid is facing a re-election battle as well and trailing likely GOP opponents in the polls. Shepherding a comprehensive immigration reform bill through the Senate would likely help him in Nevada, a state with a growing demographic of Latino voters.

Source : CNN

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