As Republicans approved strict immigration bills, opponents rallied against the ‘racist’ proposals – Arizona Mirror

Arizona refugees and Latino voter advocates rallied outside to demand deselection them after Democratic lawmakers on Thursday unanimously approved bills to jail and arrest immigrants in the state Senate. &nbsp,

A group of more than three dozen people gathered in front of the Arizona Senate tower and yelled into a loudspeaker,” There’s no place in our status for this prejudiced legislation that would allow authorities to racially profile and abuse our people.” &nbsp,

House Bill 2821 and House Bill 2748 were supported by the four GOP users of the Senate’s council on military matters and public health. The legislation resembles a Senate type that Governor vetoed only two weeks ago. Everywhere but at a port of entry, refugees who cross Arizona’s southern frontier could spend up to six months in prison, according to Katie Hobbs. &nbsp,

Republicans, who have a lot in the state government and have used tough immigration laws to pique citizens ‘ attention this election season, have promised to send the legislation to the governor’s office in an effort to portray the Democrat as weak on border security. Additionally, party leadership has indicated that they are willing to obstruct the Ninth Floor by putting the proposal directly on November’s ballot after the bills are unavoidably vetoed. &nbsp,

What do we do when our communities are under attack, chants erupted outside the Arizona Capitol courtyard? Stand up, fight back”! and” United, we will never be divided”! Protesters gathered around a hand-painted banner decrying the policy package as” SB1070 2.0,” wearing bright blue shirts with Living United For Change, a pro-immigrant advocacy group that has spearheaded the opposition to the bills. &nbsp,

The law’s critics have criticized it as an extension of Arizona’s notorious” show me your papers” law from 2010, which allowed local police to check people’s citizenship status during routine traffic stops and sparked widespread racial profiling. &nbsp,

Attendees voiced opposition to the bills, highlighting the anti-immigrant sentiment that underlies them. &nbsp,

Irma Pacheco, who was born in Mexico City, called the GOP’s move against immigrants unfair, pointing out that, historically, politicians unabashedly availed themselves of immigration to bolster the American workforce and build the country’s infrastructure. The Bracero Program hired the 62-year-old’s father to assist in the construction of railroad tracks in the 1940s. &nbsp,

” When they did need immigrants, they used and welcomed them”, she said. ” And now they do n’t want us and they’re trying to run us out. We’re not going to allow that, it’s unjust and inhumane”.

Lorenzo Escamilla Moreno, from Hidalgo, Mexico, who owns a family landscaping business, called on lawmakers to stop advancing discriminatory measures, saying that immigrants in Arizona deserve better treatment. &nbsp,

” We, as human beings, deserve respect”, the 63- year- old said. ” That’s what we’re demanding. All we did was work, not to hurt anyone. We’re your neighbors and we deserve respect” .&nbsp,

Republicans in Arizona have used xenophobic language to demonize immigrants and claim they are to blame for a lot of problems by marketing the proposals as a necessary defense against a wave of criminal activity. &nbsp,

” Multiple rapes, sexual violence as well. We have crime increasing, and fentanyl”, Rep. Joseph Chaplik, R- Scottsdale, who sponsored one of the bills, told lawmakers on the Senate committee Thursday. ” And the housing crisis is, essentially, created by this invasion” .&nbsp,

The three Democratic committee members walked out of the hearing on Thursday in protest of the lack of use of passing laws that would result in a veto and the harm they would wreak on the state’s Latino community. The party has no power to stop the immigration bills from being introduced because Democrats in both chambers have been unanimously opposed to them. However, with a minority on every committee panel and in the state legislature as a whole, the party has no way of stopping them from being introduced. &nbsp,

The three Democrats joined the protest outside to voice their opposition to the policy proposals. Sen. Flavio Bravo, a Democrat from Phoenix, recalled his relief after the Supreme Court of the United States upheld SB1070 and criticized his Republican colleagues for supporting legislation that has the potential to lead to expensive lawsuits despite the state’s$ 1.7 billion budget deficit. &nbsp,

The high court ruled that the federal government has the sole and supreme authority to enforce immigration laws in 2012 by striking down three of the law’s four provisions. The state was incurred by that law in court costs of more than$ 1 million. And if Arizona is reinstated in court as a result of the new proposals, it’s likely to be. The bills are modeled on a Texas law that is currently under litigation, with the federal government arguing that it’s unconstitutional. &nbsp,

Do we really want to fight in court over a bill that we know is unconstitutional at a time when we are in the middle of a budget deficit? Bravo asked. Repetitioning the same mistakes from the past is irresponsible. These bills are nothing more than home-grown bigotry in a policy setting.

The new composition of the U.S. Supreme Court has been unafraid to challenge precedent, according to Jeremy Garrett, a campaign manager for the voter mobilization group Our Voice Our Vote Arizona. The Biden administration’s request to stop the Texas law from being implemented while litigation is raged earlier this week. Only two of the justices on the current nine member panel were on the bench in 2012 when SB1070 was ruled unconstitutional. &nbsp,

The successful passage of the new legislation, Garrett said, could prove devastating. &nbsp,

” With the current makeup of the Supreme Court, there’s no guarantee these bills, if challenged, would be struck down”, he said. &nbsp,

The only way to get around Hobbs ‘ veto would be the courts if the Republican majority fulfills their pledge to send the” Arizona Border Invasion Act” to the November ballot to avoid Hobbs ‘ veto. &nbsp,

The answer lies in electing a Democratic majority in the legislature, according to Karina Ruiz, executive director of the Arizona Dream Act Coalition, which supports stronger protections for immigrants who enter the country as minors. &nbsp,

” We’re watching you and what you’re doing”, she warned GOP lawmakers. ” We’re going to keep coming back, and we’re going to replace you with better people, people that do care about our community” .&nbsp,

Rocky Joseph Rivera urged the audience to take an interest in the upcoming election, noting that each chamber’s Republican party has a razor-thin one-vote majority. Democrats must win just two additional seats in both to take control. &nbsp,

” We’re ( four ) seats away from having this change”! he said. ” So, these bills can never exist at all” !&nbsp,

And 57- year- old Magdalena Marin, who became a naturalized citizen in 2005 and has lived in Arizona for the past 20 years, said she’s ready to make her voice heard. She’s also the mother of five children, all of whom she’s taught to be active voters. &nbsp,

” These lawmakers apparently have Alzheimer’s — they’ve forgotten all the harm laws like these have done. But we’re going to give them a little pill called’ voting,'” she said, to loud cheers from the crowd.

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