AILA Votes to Boycott Arizona After Signing of Anti-Immigrant Law

AILA Votes to Boycott Arizona After Signing of Anti-Immigrant Law
Cite as "AILA InfoNet Doc. No. 10042331 (posted Apr. 23, 2010)"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, April 23, 2010
CONTACTS:
George Tzamaras or Jenny Levy
202-507-7649
202-507-7628
gtzamaras@aila.org
jlevy@aila.org

Washington, D.C. – The Board of Governors of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), moments after Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed into law the harshest anti-immigration bill passed in the U.S. in more than a decade, instructed its Executive Committee to move the Association’s fall 2010 conference, previously scheduled for Arizona, to another state.

AILA President Bernie Wolfsdorf explained, “We cannot in good conscience spend association dollars in a state that dehumanizes the people we represent and fight for. What Governor Brewer has done by signing this bill into law is to validate all of the irrational fears by people who are not willing to acknowledge the economic and cultural benefits of immigration to our country.”

“If Arizonans are serious about ending illegal immigration, they should be the first in line at the United States Capitol to urge Congress to the do the right thing and pass comprehensive immigration reform,” Wolfsdorf concluded.

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The American Immigration Lawyers Association is the national association of immigration lawyers established to promote justice, advocate for fair and reasonable immigration law and policy, advance the quality of immigration and nationality law and practice, and enhance the professional development of its members.