Arizona Advocacy Blog & Petition

Check out this blog that provides a petition to Obama. It asks our president to bring a stop to the provisions of HB 1070 as follows (see below).

To this letter, I would only add that the ICE policies in the form of government-sanctioned ICE raids) that followed Obama into his presidency were never re-considered despite public outcry to this effect. Obama has thus, in effect, "encouraged" states like Arizona to pursue inhumane and unjust policies that however extreme are nevertheless consistent with our government's permissive attitude toward immigration reform.

Immigration is one of those areas of policy that always registers bipartisan support. Remember the McCain-Kennedy Immigration Bill...? Hence, and despite its complexity, there are enormous possibilities for addressing immigration reform.

I want to be hopeful.

Angela




Dear President Obama,

I write to ask that you take immediate action to (1) defend the people of Arizona and (2) reform immigration policy pursuant to your existing authority as President of the United States. April 23rd was a sad day for Arizona and a terribly dangerous moment for the rest of our country. SB 1070 codifies hatred into law, disrupts national unity, and constitutes the most blatantly racist legislation in recent memory. Arizona’s new law is the direct result of the federal government’s reckless empowerment of local enforcement agencies to enforce what should be an exclusive federal responsibility, immigration law. The nation expects you to demonstrate leadership and moral courage by acting swiftly to stop this bill from taking effect and eliminating federal programs which led to its creation. Accordingly, I specifically request that you:

1. Reassert the federal government’s exclusive control over immigration law by making clear that state and local police do not have the inherent authority to enforce immigration law.

2. Immediately suspend and terminate all police-ICE partnerships, including 287(g) agreements and the so-called 'Secure Communities Initiative."

3. Direct the Department of Homeland Security to refuse to take custody of anyone charged with violating provisions of SB 1070.

On Friday, you said: "our failure to act responsibly at the federal level will only open the door to irresponsibility by others." It is time for you to acknowledge that programs enlisting police enforcement of immigration law are precisely the type of irresponsible policy that resulted in Arizona's SB 1070. Please take appropriate action to stop the state of Arizona and prevent the rest of the country from following its path.