A piece of legislation that further attacks the immigrant community has been introduced in
Arizona. This new bill was introduced by Russell Pearce, Arizona’s
state senate president and the author of SB 1070, which empowered
law-enforcement agencies to detain and deport suspected undocumented
workers.
If it passes, SB 1611 will prohibit the
children of undocumented parents from attending school and also
require community colleges and universities to deny student admission
to undocumented immigrants.
“This is an attempt to drive the
debate even farther right,” Sal Reza, an immigrant rights
activist and a leader of the Puente movement, told the Huffington
Post. “Whether it passes or doesn’t pass, the impact is to try to
move the rest of the nation towards a more repressive type of
legislation. Under the pretext of illegal immigration they’re
basically creating a police state and driving people out by any means
necessary.” (March 1)
The Senate Appropriations Committee
narrowly endorsed Pearce’s bill and also allowed bills that in
essence eliminate birthright citizenship, introduce a requirement for
hospitals to report patients who cannot show proof of U.S. residency
or valid health insurance, and criminalize undocumented drivers. This
last measure would include seizing and selling their cars.
Similar proposals are being introduced
in others states, including Indiana, Mississippi, Texas, Oklahoma and
South Dakota. (AP, Feb. 23) Arizona legislators are also attempting
to ask other states to issue separate birth certificates.
Six protesters were arrested Feb. 22 at the state senate on suspicion of disorderly conduct for disrupting a news conference. Pearce rapidly proclaimed the “power” to
control security of the senate building to limit people from entering
the premises. (AP, Feb. 27)
Scapegoating and violence against
immigrants serve the capitalists’ needs. Immigrants should not be
treated as “illegal” or less-than-human. People abandon their
native lands and come to the United States because of neoliberal
policies promoted by capitalist governments, led by the imperialists
in Washington. Instead of blaming immigrants for society’s ills,
all workers should embrace them and join them to struggle for equal
rights and against exploitation.
Only a resurgence of the immigrant
rights struggle has the potential to achieve the goals of justice and
equality. No capitalist politician—Democrat or Republican—will
pass laws ensuring full rights for all immigrants until the pressure from the
movement becomes unbearable for the ruling class. We must
continue to raise the banner of legalization and full rights for all
immigrants.
