Activists are gearing up in Arizona, taking a stand at the state capitol against a proposed ballot measure that would declare illegal immigration a state crime. Demonstrators rallied Saturday, voicing their opposition to House Concurrent Resolution 2060 and organizing for a larger showing when the state Senate votes, as reported by ABC15. The "Secure the Border Act," sparking widespread controversy for its potential to allow local law enforcement the power to arrest people suspected of being in Arizona illegally, has been drawing parallels to the infamous SB 1070, known as the "Show Me Your Papers Law."
Despite being poised to veto a similar bill earlier in the session, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs faces a challenge, as she doesn't have the power to veto HCR 2060 since it's a ballot initiative, which was stated by ABC15. Should the legislation pass through the legislature, the proposal will proceed directly to voters this November. Meanwhile, Republicans backing the bill argue it aims at enhancing border security rather than targeting immigration.
Gina Mendez, a civic engagement organizer at Living United for Change in Arizona, argued the bill's consequences would reach beyond immigration. Expressing concerns about racial profiling and the impact on Latino communities, Mendez declared at the rally, "Our brown skin is not a crime," as per FOX10 Phoenix. LUCHA, the organization spearheading the protest efforts, has called for a walkout to oppose the measure.
LUCHA supporter Rocky Rivera has highlighted economic concerns, sharing fears that the measure, if passed, will not only hurt Latino businesses but also the entire state. Striving from Tucson to join the protests, Rivera emphasized the negative financial repercussions entangled with the bill's enforcement, which was mentioned in an interview by FOX10 Phoenix, "It's going to be economically detrimental not only to small towns and latino businesses but the state overall. They contribute to the state. They spend (money) here."
Activists, comparing the proposed legislation to SB 1070, the majority of which was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court two years later for infringing on federal jurisdiction over immigration policy, are cautioning against repeating the past. LUCHA Executive Director Alejandra Gomez, urging the community to take a stand, proclaimed, "And what we're saying and what this community is saying, is that we are a better Arizona, that we're not going back to the politics of hate, that we are standing up," as told to ABC15.
