The Public’s Frustration is Understandable, but it Should Lead to Comprehensive Immigration Reform Enacted by Congress, Not a Tangle of State Laws that Violate the Constitution and the Rights of Individuals
Washington, DC – The Department of Justice is taking action to reassert control over immigration policy at the national level, which is where it belongs. The state of Arizona’s radical attempt to usurp federal authority cannot be allowed to stand. Letting 50 states make their own immigration policy makes as much sense as letting 50 states make their own foreign policy.
According to Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice, “Arizonans are understandably frustrated with illegal immigration, but there’s a right way and a wrong way to address the problem. The right way is for elected officials in Washington, DC from both parties to enact comprehensive immigration reform – a solution the vast majority of Americans support. The wrong way is for individual states such as Arizona to take the law into their own hands in a way that violates the Constitution and puts a target on the backs of U.S. citizens just because of their skin color or accent.”
The vast majority of Latinos in Arizona are here legally but under the Arizona law these citizens and legal residents will be treated guilty until proven innocent. Added Sharry, “This case may prove to be a pivotal moment in American civil rights history. If successful, the lawsuit will protect the rights of every single American citizen. It may be the color of one’s skin that is suspect today; tomorrow it may be one’s religious affiliation.”
Sharry added, “It’s about time some responsible adults stand up to Arizona’s right-wing politicians and their shameless pandering to Tea Party types. Governor Jan Brewer cares more about political security in her upcoming primary than in border security for her state. State Senator Russell Pearce, the law’s author, now wants sully the Constitution some more with a state law aimed at preventing Latino babies born in the U.S. from getting citizenship papers. The notorious Sheriff Joe Arpaio on whose failed tactics the new Arizonan law is modeled recruits volunteer “posses” to raid Latino neighborhoods and round up Hispanics on trumped up offenses in order to ask for their immigration papers. And the state’s two top federal officials — Senators Kyl and McCain — are enabling these radicals instead of doing what they’ve done in the past, which is to champion comprehensive immigration reform as the only real solution to illegal immigration. Thankfully, the Founding Fathers created our system of checks and balances just for situations where politicians trample the Constitution and the rights of minorities.”
America’s Voice — Harnessing the power of American voices and American values to win common sense immigration reform.
http://www.americasvoiceonline.org
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