New York City march across Brooklyn Bridge, July 30
Photo: Edward Pages
In a move that signals a corrosion of the civil rights many have fought so hard to secure over the past fifty years, Arizona governor Jan Brewer signed into law SB 1070, compelling local law enforcement to question the immigration status of anyone they suspect is undocumented. Latinos, who are the target of anti-immigration efforts in this country, are certain to contend with racial profiling, since even ordinary citizens in Arizona can be subject to arrest if police “suspect” they are without documentation.
This new law raises frightening questions for Latinos in the US:
- Will Latinos be required to carry their documentation even when they walk their children to school?
- Will Latinos born in the U.S. be forced to carry their birth certificates to avoid being hauled off to jail?
- How soon before other border communities follow Arizona’s lead?
LatinoJustice PRLDEF will not stand by and let Latinos become the victims of these tactics. Responding to the outrage of Latinos throughout the country, we are currently preparing an amicus curiae brief on behalf of a number of Latino advocacy and civil rights organizations.
We’ve fought this battle before – in Riverside, New Jersey, a restrictive immigration ordinance penalized anyone who employed or rented to an undocumented immigrant. We filed a lawsuit against the city forcing them to withdraw the ordinance. In Hazleton, PA we stopped the city from deploying an anti-immigration ordinance that certainly would have led to the same racial profiling we fear in Arizona.
Help us stop the State of Arizona’s blatant attempt to ignore federal authority over matters of immigration and violate the civil rights of
Latinos.
