National Guard troops were officially sent to the U.S.-Mexico border yesterday — except in Arizona, where not enough troops have been recruited and trained yet. As the Spanish-language press reports, this is just one of the obstacles the state faces in the continued battle over SB 1070, with racial animosity and fear on the rise and the economy on the decline. And a new poll suggests the Arizona law might have national electoral consequences for the GOP with Hispanic voters as well.
National Guard. Various media outlets and wire services, including EFE, cover the official dispatch of National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border yesterday. In Arizona, the epicenter of the immigration debate, the troop buildup will be delayed until enough National Guardsmen have been recruited and trained, El Diario-La Prensa (New York) reports.
AZ still struggling. The debate over SB 1070 remains a hot topic in the press. EFE reports that activist groups are asking the Hispanic community not to let its guard down, saying it has “won the battle, but not the war.”
Another EFE article describes the effects of the law on Arizona’s economy, focusing on the city of Mesa–the birthplace of the law–where the economy is already struggling. Also reporting from Mesa, La Opinión notes that racial animosity and hate crimes are on the rise. Impre.com shows that the fear such acts create has spread throughout the state’s immigrant population, reporting that:
“between January 1st and July 27th, 23,444 Mexicans asked for assistance from the Mexican consulate in Arizona. 1,860,000 Mexicans live in the state, representing 88.6% of the total Hispanic population…The consulate estimates that between 400,000 and 530,000 (of Mexican nationals in Arizona) are undocumented immigrants.”
