The signing of a strict immigration law in Arizona is upsetting minority groups around the nation as well as some citizens of Arizona.
Protesters gathered outside the Arizona Capitol building last weekend to protest the signing of the bill by Gov. Jan Brewer on Sunday. Large-scale protests also took place against the new bill in Los Angeles last Saturday, where 500,000 people took to the streets. The protests in the South and Southwest were joined by many others around the country, including on Tuesday at Federal Plaza in lower Manhattan.
“I think [the law] will impact [immigrants] severely. Immigrants will think twice before reporting crimes they have witnessed, making Arizona unsafe,” said Angela Fernandez, executive director of North Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights.
Arizona attracts a plethora of different vacationers from all over the world each year. Several local hotels and restaurants have expressed fear that the tough immigration law will drive people away from the state, for reasons such as what Fernandez highlights.
The bill is being seen by many as endorsing racial profiling, having the effect criminalizing some Hispanic citizens in Arizona for being Hispanic. The law appears to give police free reign to temporarily detain Hispanic citizens while their citizenship is verified. Hispanic residents who have been in Arizona legally for decades are concerned they may become targets for Arizona police.
And many of the tourists may not be willing to visit if they are subject to random searches as a result of having a foreign appearance.
“People who look foreign will have to carry documentation everywhere they go even if they are a citizen. Local police will be doing the job of Federal and Civil law, which should not be occurring,” Fernandez told The Epoch Times.
Hispanic rights groups are continuing to do everything they can to gain support from President Obama who they say should intervene due to the law conflicting with federal regulations. Groups such as the North Manhattan Coalition for Immigration Rights are working together with others nationally to address the issue in Washington. Democratic representatives in Arizona started to oppose the bill as soon as it passed through Arizona’s House of Representatives.
Protesters gathered outside the Arizona Capitol building last weekend to protest the signing of the bill by Gov. Jan Brewer on Sunday. Large-scale protests also took place against the new bill in Los Angeles last Saturday, where 500,000 people took to the streets. The protests in the South and Southwest were joined by many others around the country, including on Tuesday at Federal Plaza in lower Manhattan.
“I think [the law] will impact [immigrants] severely. Immigrants will think twice before reporting crimes they have witnessed, making Arizona unsafe,” said Angela Fernandez, executive director of North Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights.
Arizona attracts a plethora of different vacationers from all over the world each year. Several local hotels and restaurants have expressed fear that the tough immigration law will drive people away from the state, for reasons such as what Fernandez highlights.
The bill is being seen by many as endorsing racial profiling, having the effect criminalizing some Hispanic citizens in Arizona for being Hispanic. The law appears to give police free reign to temporarily detain Hispanic citizens while their citizenship is verified. Hispanic residents who have been in Arizona legally for decades are concerned they may become targets for Arizona police.
And many of the tourists may not be willing to visit if they are subject to random searches as a result of having a foreign appearance.
“People who look foreign will have to carry documentation everywhere they go even if they are a citizen. Local police will be doing the job of Federal and Civil law, which should not be occurring,” Fernandez told The Epoch Times.
Hispanic rights groups are continuing to do everything they can to gain support from President Obama who they say should intervene due to the law conflicting with federal regulations. Groups such as the North Manhattan Coalition for Immigration Rights are working together with others nationally to address the issue in Washington. Democratic representatives in Arizona started to oppose the bill as soon as it passed through Arizona’s House of Representatives.
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