The immigration debate is taking center stage in federal courts. The Obama Administration is making the case to stop Arizona’s racial profiling law, which is to take effect on July 29.
There are twenty two copycats waiting to see which way the wind blows on states’ ability to preempt federal immigration law. Those copycats have not gone unchallenged. They are met with strong opposition from state and local levels of government around the country. At least fifteen Governors have voiced opposition to the law.
Mayors and city leaders in San Francisco, Boulder, Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Columbus issued travel bans. Local legislators have proposed or adopted at minimum 60 measures in opposition to the Arizona law. Those measures call for a boycott of Arizona, prohibit travel to the state and call on Congress and President Obama to enact comprehensive immigration reform that preempts state law. More than half of these measures have passed and even more will be necessary as the immigration debate intensifies.
Emboldened by the success of the anti-immigrant Arizona bill, its copycats and a failure of the federal government to lead on immigration reform, an anonymous group in Utah recently released an immigrant blacklist that contains the names and personal information of 1,300 alleged illegal immigrants. The Governor and Attorney General offices immediately began an aggressive investigation into the serious breaches of privacy. The blacklist is further confirmation that federal leadership is necessary in fixing the nation’s immigration system. The use of scare tactics by anti-immigrant groups and state patchwork measures cannot become common place.
Local law makers realize that only a federal solution will succeed in true overhaul of the immigration system and many of them backed President Obama’s recent efforts to lead on immigration by issuing statements of support for hisspeech on immigration and the DOJ law suit announcement. While adopting resolutions opposing the Arizona bill and battling against copycats, local legislators are counting on a successful outcome of the Administration’s legal challenge.
Keep reading for a full list of resolutions.
National
National Congress of American Indians
Arizona
California
San Francisco Board of Supervisors
Colorado
Connecticut
Florida
Illinois
Indiana
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Missouri
New York
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Texas
Vermont
Washington
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