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“This law is not only an affront to American values of fairness and respect for the U.S. Constitution, it severely undermines workers’ rights,” AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka.
(4 May 2010) – Momentum continues to build for repeal the new anti-immigrant law recently passed by the state of Arizona. The law requires a police officer to demand proof of immigration status when the officer has “reasonable suspicion” to believe the person is not authorized to be in the United States, regardless of whether he or she is suspected of a crime. The law puts Arizona’s entire Latino population—the great majority of whom are U.S. citizens or legal residents—at risk of arrest.
“This law is not only an affront to American values of fairness and respect for the U.S. Constitution, it severely undermines workers’ rights,” says AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka.
“Any employer faced with Latino workers’ complaints—in the form of a picket or a lawsuit—can simply call the police and have workers arrested under the guise of “reasonable suspicion.” The law’s chilling effect is all too clear.”
United Steelworkers President Leo Gerard and other union leaders also have condemned the law. Gerard says the law is political pandering to those who believe that America’s economic troubles are caused by undocumented workers. “The image of police confronting people on the street, asking to see identification is akin to things that have not been witnessed since the fall of totalitarian dictatorships in the last century. We can’t let our great nation go down that road. This law must be repealed.”
Trumka has called for urgent action, stating “The Arizona law should not be allowed to become a model; it is bad public policy and it should be put to rest. Our focus should instead be on a comprehensive solution to the broken immigration system.”
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary and former Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano agrees, saying the law is “misguided.” Napolitano, whose department oversees immigration issues, says she is concerned that other states will adopt similar laws, creating a “patchwork” of immigration rules when an overall federal immigration system needs to be put in place. “This affects everybody, and I actually view it now as a security issue.”
The Major League Baseball Players Association said in a statement that the new law could have a “negative impact” on major league baseball teams, which have hundreds of players who are citizens of countries other than the United States. At least six players on the Arizona Diamondbacks roster are not U.S. citizens and 30 percent of all Major League players are Latino.
Adrian Gonzalez, the All-Star first baseman for the San Diego Padres, has announced he will boycott the 2011 Major League All-Star game, which is scheduled to be played in Phoenix, unless the anti-immigrant law is repealed.
Over the weekend, thousands of marchers in cities across the U.S. called for repeal of the law and for Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform.
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