Racial Profiling Provision Will Lead to Discrimination,
Needs to be Struck Down in the Future
This is a statement from Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice Education Fund, in response to today’s Supreme Court ruling on the Arizona anti-immigration law.
“Today’s Supreme Court ruling on Arizona’s anti-immigrant law dealt the state and its nativist allies a strong rebuke. By a 5-3 majority the Court ruled that Arizona’s attempt to take federal law into its own hands is unconstitutional.
“On the other hand, the Court did not enjoin, for now, the provision of the Arizona law that will inevitably lead to racial profiling based on the way Arizonans look and speak, including native-born citizens. We fear the real world consequences of persistent discrimination will now expand, especially in a state led by Governor Jan Brewer and patrolled by Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
“Nevertheless, we are confident that the civil rights cases brought by our movement’s litigators will ultimately succeed in having federal courts strike down the racial profiling provision. And we are confident that our movement will continue to mobilize voters, build power and fight for humane and workable immigration reforms at the local, state and federal levels until we win. For us, victory is not a matter of if, but of when.”
America’s Voice Education Fund — Harnessing the power of American voices and American values to win common sense immigration reform.
###
