Fiery debates in Arizona spread across the nation

On June 3, President Obama spoke with Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer in a closed-door

Demonstrators stand in front of the White House on the day Arizona’s Govovernor met with President Obama meeting at the White House. The meeting comes on the heels of Obama’s criticism of the new Arizona law, SB 1070, which makes it a state crime to be undocumented.

After discussing the issue for 30 minutes, the two were unable to reconcile their positions on immigration policy, reports the Spanish-language daily newspaper, El Pais. Although both politicians agreed to seek a bipartisan solution to the issue of border security and immigration reform, they left their meeting in the Oval Office with no clear plan of action.

Brewer has insisted that the federal government support the completion of a border fence in Arizona before any national immigration reform legislation is adopted, arguing that the security concerns of U.S. citizens should be addressed before issues relating to undocumented immigrants.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer speaks to reporters outside the White House Obama reiterated his concern over SB 1070, saying it could result in discrimination against anyone who “seems” Latino, whether or not they are undocumented. The president also said the responsibility of solving the issue of illegal immigration should be left to the federal government, a task that will only become more complicated if other states begin to enact their own immigration policies.

The Obama administration also recently asked the Supreme Court to take up the case of another Arizona law, the Legal Arizona Workers Act (LAWA) passed in 2007, which imposes hefty sanctions on employers, including revoking licenses of companies that knowingly hire undocumented laborers. In a brief filed with the court, the administration argues that only the federal government can penalize employers who knowingly hire undocumented immigrants. The Arizona law, the Obama administration alleges, is in conflict with the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) and also lacks key protections against discrimination.

Obama has instructed the Department of Justice to review the new law and its constitutionality. The Department of Justice is reportedly considering joining a lawsuit against SB 1070, but has not yet taken legal action.

The president has stated that the possibility of other states introducing similar measures to Arizona’s SB 1070 highlights the need for comprehensive immigration reform. In 2010, at least 107 laws related to immigration have been enacted in different states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).

The other states: Louisiana and

Rhode Island attempt to follow

Arizona’s footsteps

In Louisiana, on April 15 and again on May 13, State Rep. Joe Harrison introduced House Bill 1205 (HB1205), otherwise known as the “Louisiana Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act of 2010.” The bill, which includes measures that were defeated in 2008, details a plan to discourage undocumented workers from even thinking about crossing the state line.

In response to the proposal, Puentes

New Orleans — a nonprofit group that strives to promote intercultural relations — organized a trip to Baton Rouge to attend the state House Judiciary Committee hearing on April 15 and again on May 13. During both hearings, HB1205 was removed from the agenda, according to Jambalaya news reports.

HB1205 calls for schools and hospitals to verify that anyone 14 years of age or older who comes to them for service is residing legally in the United States. Police officers would also have to verify the immigration status of every arrested person or notify the Department of Homeland Security if unable to do so (thus becoming de facto deportation agents).

The bill would make it illegal to harbor, conceal, shelter, or transport undocumented immigrants. This means family members and friends of undocumented persons would be in jeopardy of a fine or jail time simply for helping their loved ones. The penalty for the first offense is a fine of $1,000 or six months in jail; second-time offenders would face a $2,000 fine, one year in jail, or both. Finally, HB1205 calls for public employers to verify the eligibility of all new employees in the Status Verification System; a very expensive requirement. Jordan Shannon, Policy-Advocacy Coordinator for Puentes, believes if this bill was passed, it would create a culture of fear within Louisiana. “It is potentially harmful to citizens in terms of penalizing them for humanitarian acts,” Shannon said. Louisiana residents could be scared to interact with immigrants for fear of arrest. Immigrants might be fearful of applying for jobs, reporting crimes or

seeking healthcare.

HB1205 might also cause an increase in unjustified racial profiling.

Racial tensions might increase if generalizations were made against any person suspected of being undocumented. This in turn could spark an increase in crime.

On May 27, the date scheduled for the third hearing on the bill, Rep. Harrison withdrew the proposed legislation from consideration in the face of stiff opposition from the House Judiciary Committee. Another bill similar to Arizona’s controversial recent immigration law was quashed in the Rhode Island House of Representatives on May 25.

Democratic State Rep. Peter Palumbo introduced the bill that, like the Arizona measure, would have allowed police to check for proof of legal U.S. residency.

However, House Speaker Gordon Fox, also a Democrat, believed that the topic of immigration reform should be handled at the federal level.

“The speaker opposes this and feels it’s better addressed federally,” House spokesperson Larry Berman told The Providence Journal. “We’re not going to hear it this year.”

Palumbo told the Journal he was “surprised and hurt” that his colleague stopped the bill. Palumbo believes Fox’s decision was made because of pressure from “the radical left.”

There was significant resistance to the bill from activist and local politicians in Rhode Island.

On May 20, a raucous protest took place on the House floor and police had to be called to disperse the crowd of about 100.

In addition, the Providence City Council passed a resolution condemning Arizona’s law, joining Chicago, San Diego and other cities across the country.

But is comprehensive immigration reform on the horizon?

The Fair Immigration Reform Movement, the largest national grassroots network of immigrant rights organizations, believes we are in a “moral crisis,” brought about by “the failure of Washington to act on legislation, resulting in a record level of over 1,000 families destroyed every day.”

But with the legislative calendar ending soon, such pleas may end up falling on deaf ears.

Obama has not been able to muster any Republican senators to help draft a bipartisan bill, and even some Democrats seem unwilling to address the issue in an election year.