Vigilantes in Suits: boycott or rot...ARIZONA 2005

Arizona legislator Russell Pearce got a taste of the Bay Area last month when he was surrounded by 20 members of the San Francisco-based Deporten a la Migra Coalition in front of the Arizona State Capitol building. Organizers came to Arizona to witness the vigilante circus on the border and in the statehouse.

Arizona is rapidly adopting an apartheid system as a model for other border states. This new-and-improved for 2005 package includes:

Bigoted action figures with exchangeable parts: State legislators, minutemen, border patrol, and news commentators.
Accessories: Guns, fortified walls, Blackhawk helicopters, and law books.
Playing cards: Citizenship papers, US passports, tribal ID cards and birth certificates.

The create-your-own apartheid kit is manufactured and marketed by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) in Washington, D.C. FAIR is a white nationalist group masquerading as a mainstream think tank on immigration reform. Figureheads on the far right, such as Congressman Tom Tancredo and Rep. Russell Pearce, are not only playing with FAIR’s kit in Arizona, but are testing it out in California and other states.

We in Arizona hope that Governor Schwarzenegger’s use of immigrant race-baiting to rescue his sagging ratings is not an omen that means Californians will soon face the same human rights crisis that is unfolding here. His recent praise for armed paramilitaries on the Arizona–Mexico border, and his invitation to them, must be quickly and definitively countered.

Twenty ways to hate

You’ve heard about the minutemen, but extremist vigilantes also wear suits and pass hate laws in the Arizona state capitol. While immigrant communities are under assault across this country, Arizona has by far the longest list of bills targeting immigrants and people of color. Proposition 200, passed by voters in November 2004, requires proof of citizenship for certain public services and for voting, but it is only the tip of the iceberg. Arizona legislators are on the rampage, purportedly aiming to seal holes in the border wall with 20+ bills. Following is a glimpse at what FAIR and their lackey state legislators are planning to bring to California.

A potential scenario thanks to some of the 20 bills that have already passed the legislature:

You’ve overstayed your Mexican tourist visa. You’re driving the speed limit on the Tucson freeway with your cousin and two friends, one of whom is also undocumented. It’s a sunny Sunday. Two police officers pull you over for Driving While Brown. They demand to see everyone’s papers [SB 1306]. You show them your Matricula Consular, an official ID card issued by the Mexican government, which they toss to the ground [SB 1511]. They accuse you of smuggling your undocumented friend [HB 2539]. One of the officers calls the Border Patrol [SB 1306]. She then orders you to show proof of car insurance. But you couldn’t insure the car because without papers you can’t get a driver’s license. Since you are uninsured, they inform you that your car is being seized until you can show proof of insurance [SB 1420], which is, as previously explained, impossible. You’re not sure exactly what the cops are saying because they did not call for a Spanish-speaking cop as required by law. Your U.S. citizen cousin, Evaristo, is asserting his rights, stating “I want to speak to a lawyer,” and is tasered by the officer. (Taser International is headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ).

The Border Patrol arrives. They take your friend to the local INS detention center and deport her the following morning. In the meantime, you are arrested and charged with human smuggling, a new state crime, and carted off to the county jail [HB 2539]. You are stuck in jail for the 10 months it takes to fight your case because you longer have the right to post bail [HCR 2028]. You are found guilty, and during your sentencing the judge says he will tack on 5 years of prison time simply because you’re undocumented [HB 2259].

You are sent to Arizona state prison for 10 years. On your release date, you think your time is up, but are informed by the roving INS officials at the prison, that you will now face time on immigration charges. You are shipped to the new INS private prison in Sonora, Mexico [HB 2709]. You’re beat up by prison guards, but can’t file charges because both the Mexican and U.S. governments claim that they’re not responsible for human rights abuses in a private prison, and don’t have jurisdiction over you.

Thankfully, some of these bills were vetoed by Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, but many remain on her desk. Legislators have vowed to return next session with all the bills that have not become law.

A Boycott without Borders

Groups in Arizona plan to hit the racist legislators and their business allies in their billfolds. A national and international boycott will target Arizona conventions, tourism, sports teams and industry. It will also ask Mexican tourists, who drop more than US$2 billion into Arizona’s economy every year, to shop and vacation elsewhere.

In the early 1990’s, Arizonans challenged white supremacists with a boycott, and won. When the Arizona governor refused to recognize the MLK Jr. holiday, local and national civil rights groups initiated a national boycott of Arizona. The year-long boycott cost Arizona $200 million, its reputation, and an NFL Superbowl. When given the chance to vote on the holiday, Arizona voters approved it.

We’re ready to boycott ourselves, but it won’t work without your help. If we lock in national and international organizing and resources, this boycott could keep the rest of the country from importing FAIR’s anti-immigrant pre-fab kits.

Pending AZ Immigration Bills

Some of the proposed bills have been vetoed by the governor and some have been held up within the state bureaucracy. Here is a partial list of some of the pending and passed bills, for a complete list goto the Defeat 200 website: www.defeat200.org

HB 2030

If passed, this bill would expand Prop 200 to ban undocumented immigrants from programs including Adult Education (ESL & GED), Family Literacy, public universities, community colleges and Child Care. It forces employees at state agencies, universities and community colleges to check immigration status and report undocumented persons to the INS. Was amended to include provisions from HB 2264, denying financial aid and in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants.It was also amended to include employer sanctions for any business employing undocumented workers, including fines, civil penalty or imprisonment, and denial of tax credits. Money from fines goes to a “Securing Arizona’s Border Fund,” which would fund training and activation of Arizona National Guard along the U.S.-Mexico Border.

SB 1306

If passed, would allow police to temporarily detain an undocumented immigrant who is arrested for purposes of calling Border Patrol & facilitating deportation.

SB 1167 English ONLY

If passed, this bill would make English the official state language, requiring the official functions of government to be conducted in English only. It will require election ballots to be in English only. Is the same as HCR 2030, which is held up in Senate Rules Committee.

HB 2592 Ban on State Funding for Day Labor Work Centers

If passed, cities and towns would be prohibited from maintaining or building a day labor center if it’s used to facilitate the hiring of undocumented workers. Bans public funding for day labor centers.It was mended to include employer sanctions for any business employing undocumented workers, including fines, civil penalty or imprisonment, and denial of tax credits. Money from fines goes to a “Securing Arizona’s Border Fund,” which would fund training and activation of Arizona National Guard along the U.S.-Mexico Border.

HCR 2028 Denial of Bail to Undocumented Immigrants

If passed, the 2006 general election ballot would carry the question of amending the state constitution to take away the right to post bail from any undocumented immigrant charged with a felony.

HB 2259 Harsher Sentencing for Undocumented Immigrants Charged with Crimes

If passed, judges could consider immigration status an “aggravating factor” in sentencing to impose harsher sentences. Signed by the Governor 4/18/05.

Piper Weinberg, Margot Veranes and Alexis Mazón are volunteers with Defeat 200 in Tucson, Arizona, and can be reached at defeat200@yahoo.com.