6/22/2010
Oregon ralliers decry new Arizona law
| |
|
 |
| Francisco Javier Jimenez protests immigration law. (Catholic Sentinel photo by Gerry Lewin) |
|
SALEM — About a thousand marchers flowed to the Oregon State Capitol over Memorial Day weekend in solidarity with Arizona’s immigrants and Latinos.
The protest countered Arizona’s stiff new immigration law, which foes say promotes racial profiling and opens the door to civil rights violations. Supporters of the new law say it enforces federal code and finally creates a fairer situation for immigrants who go through legal processes. The law is set to take effect July 29.
Signs in Salem read “We are America,” “United for a dream,” and “We are all immigrants.” The rally, festooned with flags, began with a tearful Pledge of Allegiance.
“Laws that divide the community and criminalize immigrants are not welcome in our state,” said a statement from CAUSA, an Oregon immigrant rights group that helped organize the rally.
In Downtown Portland, several hundred people held a march and rally to speak out against the Arizona law.
Speakers in Salem called on President Obama and Oregon leaders to enact national immigration reform that keeps families together and provides a path to citizenship for immigrants already here.
Similar events happened in 40 cities across the U.S., with the largest in Phoenix, where 20,000 took to the streets.
Signed into law last month by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, Senate Bill 1070 allows police to check immigration status when there is “reasonable suspicion” of a violation, even if the encounter is over another matter. Those found to be in the country illegally will be turned over to federal authorities for probable deportation.
Officers are not supposed to make judgments on the basis of race or language. Arizona’s Catholic bishops, doubtful the enforcement can take place without racial bias, have decried the law. Joining them was Bishop John Wester of Salt Lake City, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Migration.
“SB 1070 gives law enforcement officials powers to detain and arrest individuals based on a very low legal standard, possibly leading to the profiling of individuals based upon their appearance, manner of speaking, or ethnicity,” Bishop Wester said.
The Arizona law, he added, is “symptomatic of the absence of federal leadership on the issue of immigration.”
Since the passage of SB 1070, immigration reform advocates in Oregon and around the nation have increased pressure on President Obama and members of Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform, hoping to head off similar legislation in other states. But the issue is mired in Washington.
Meanwhile, several organizations have launched legal challenges, while others are organizing a boycott of Arizona and the businesses that are headquartered there. Students have started engaging in hunger strikes, sit-ins and acts of civil disobedience. The city councils of Portland and Eugene passed resolutions condemning the Arizona law, while one small Washington town considered a statement in support of Arizona.
A group of U.S. police chiefs said that Arizona’s law will intimidate crime victims and witnesses who are undocumented immigrants and divert police from investigating more serious crimes.
|
|
