FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BORDER SONGS CD Release

A different message coming out of Arizona: Musicians, Poets and Artists come together to save lives

Border Songs–a new compilation album to benefit the southern Arizona humanitarian group No More Deaths—is available for purchase online at: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bordersongs

All proceeds from the sale of the Border Songs CD will go to No More Deaths/No Más Muertes, a volunteer group that caches water in the desert, provides medical assistance and food to migrants, and helps recently deported people on the Mexican side of the border. Since 1994, more than 6,000 migrants have died along the US-Mexico border. According to the album’s co-producers Robert Neustadt and Chuck Cheesman, the mission of the Border Songs CD and No More Deaths is simple: to end death and suffering on the Arizona/Mexico border. In the first month since the album’s release, the project has raised some $9000 for No More Deaths. Each purchase will provide 29 gallons of water, or the equivalent in food or medical supplies to people in need.

The two-CD set features 31 performances in both English and Spanish from a variety of different genres and styles: blues, corrido, cumbia, folk/Americana, hip hop, instrumental guitar, mambo, Nicaraguan new song, reggae, rock, and even an electronic recording of the wall itself.

Renowned artists contributing to the compilation include Sweet Honey In The Rock, whose song “Are We a Nation?” was written in direct response to Arizona’s anti-immigrant law, SB 1070. Other prominent musicians include Amos Lee, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Calexico, Joel Rafael, Tom Russell and Eliza Gilkyson. Salvadoran Lilo González, who himself crossed the border without documents, contributes a cumbia based on his own experience, “Ningún ser humano es ilegal” (No Human Being is Illegal). 93 year-old folk music legend Pete Seeger contributed his call for unity, his song “My Rainbow Race”

Spoken word on the album includes a dramatic reading by Chicana performer Denise Chávez, excepts from an interview with Charles Bowden, and an animal fable by m. henry that will both entertain a child and inspire an adult to think. Poets contributing work include Chilean Raúl Zurita, one of South America’s most important living poets, Salvadoran Mario Bencastro, whose poem “Arizona” honors migrants who have died in the desert, and North American Margaret Randall, whose poem “Offended Turf” is blended with Glenn Weyant’s electronic recording of the border wall. This diverse collection of border songs is held together by a common thread—a deep concern and solidarity for migrants, for people of all ethnicities, regardless of their country of origin.

The complete list of artists contributing to the Border Songs project features:

Amos Lee, Calacas Blues, Calexico, Charles Bowden, Christa Sadler, Chuck Cheesman, Classik & Pachuco, Cyril Barrett, Denise Chávez, Dúo Guardbarranco, Eliza Gilkyson, Eric Skye, Giant Giant Sand, Glenn Weyant, Joel Rafael, Lakesigns, Lilo Gonzalez, Los Románticos, Margaret Randall, Mario Bencastro, m. henry, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Óscar Sarmiento, Pete Seeger, Raúl Zurita, Robert Neustadt, Scott Ainslie, Sergio Mendoza y la Orkesta, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Ted Warmbrand, Tom Russell.

Border Songs was released on October 12, 2012. The purpose of the album is to raise awareness and provide aid to migrants who suffer and die in Sonoran desert.

The Border Songs album is available for purchase for $24 at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bordersongs

Or, through the Border Songs CD Project web page: http://www.bordersongs.org

See also, Border Songs on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BorderSongsCdProject

For information, contact Robert Neustadt: bordersongscd@gmail.com

Tucsonans will recognize many of the local people and musical groups included in this two-CD set. I’ve personally met author Charles Bowden, who has written several books about the Arizona/Mexico border.

“Humanitarian Aid is Never a Crime.”

Gwen Ifill from Washington Week will be joined live in the Tucson Studios by AZPM Host Andrea Kelly. The numbers of illegal border crossers has risen steadily in the past two decades as crackdowns in California and Texas squeezed immigrants into the Arizona desert. That’s created a political backlash in this state, resulting in laws like SB1070 that now make it more difficult for illegal immigrants to live here. The 2010 census showed that Arizona’s Latino population has grown nearly 42% in the last decade. Join us online to discuss these issues and how they may affect the vote in the upcoming elections. The program will also be shown on the World channel (broadcast 27-3, Comcast 203, Cox 83) on Sunday, July 1at 4 p.m. Click here for a link for the streaming page.

In Tucson, Andrea Kelly will be joined by the following AZPM guests:

Leticia de la Vara – Leticia directs ONE ARIZONA, a coalition of 10 non-profit, non-partisan organizations across the state that came together after SB 1070 to turn out the Latino vote. An alumna of multiple leadership institutes, Leticia works for equality in housing, education and political engagement in Arizona’s low-income and Latino communities.

Larry Dever – Larry serves as sheriff of Cochise County in rural southeastern Arizona, with an expanse of 83 1/2 miles of the U.S. border with Mexico. He has testified before Congress many times on immigration and border issues.

Gary Thrasher – Gary is a Cochise County rancher and veterinarian serving rural residents on both sides of the border.

Bruce Bracker – Bruce owns Bracker’s Department Store in Nogales, Ariz. He represents the third generation of family members to run the store and depends on visitors from south of the border for more than 80 percent of his business.

In San Diego the KPBS Host will be Amita Sharma, Investigative Reporter joined by the following KPBS Guests:

David Flores – An architect/community planner with Casa Familia in San Diego, David is working with U.S. government agencies including the Border Patrol and the EPA to try ensuring that the expansion to the world’s busiest border crossing does not harm the health of the largely immigrant neighborhood that hosts it.

Jose Mondragón – A student and DREAM Act supporter, Jose is a graduate of the University of California Santa Cruz and soon to be a graduate student at New York University. He is an undocumented immigrant.

Peter Nuñez – A professor, Peter is former U.S. Attorney for San Diego. He teaches at the University of San Diego and is board president of the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates stricter border enforcement.

Yvonne Purdy-Luxton –Yvonne is a member of the Community Emergency Response Team, a neighborhood watch-like organization in rural eastern San Diego County near the U.S.-Mexico border that in many ways is the eyes and ears for enforcement officials there.

With the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Arizona’s SB 1070 law, this is a very current topic, and of interest to many of our readers and AZPM’s viewers. I heard Gwen Ifill speak in person about how she got into broadcasting a few years ago at the University of AZ Crowder Hall, and she is an inspiring journalist.

Gabriela Saucedo Mercer

Her announcement will be made at 11 a.m. Wednesday March 2nd at the Inn Suites/Tucson Hotel, 475 N. Granada Avenue, Copper room in Tucson, 85701. Doors open at 10:30 a.m.

From her website:

Gabriela Saucedo Mercer lives on Tucson’s west side with her husband of 24 years, Ted Mercer. Gabriela, “Gabby” for short, set aside her work career with a defense electronics firm in order to raise her 3 children and continue her education. As the kids were growing up Gabriela became more and more concerned about the direction that her adopted country had taken in recent years. She legally emigrated to the U.S. from Mexico in 1986 in order to live in a nation full of opportunity and Constitutional protections of individual liberties. She became a proud U.S. citizen in 1991.

I happened to be at the Tucson City Council meeting last Spring when Gabriela stood up & spoke against the Council’s opposition of SB 1070, and Congressman’s Grijalva’s call for a boycott of the State of Arizona. Most of the Mexican Americans in the room spoke against SB 1070.

Campaign info: www.saucedomercer.com, 520-349-5600, gabriela@saucedomercer.com.

Congressman Raul Grijalva has served since January, 2003 and won his last November, 2010 campaign against political newcomers Republican Ruth McClung, Libertarian George Keane, and Independent Harley Meyer. Results of that recent race:

GRIJALVA, RAUL M. (DEM)
50.16% 79,935
MCCLUNG, RUTH (REP)
44.16% 70,385
KEANE, GEORGE (LBT)
2.71% 4,318
MEYER, HARLEY (I-N)
2.83% 4,506
Write-in
0.14% 228
159,372 total votes cast

3/3/11 UPDATE: 2 live videos of this campaign kick off event:

http://tucsoncitizen.com/in-the-aggregate/2011/03/02/gabriela-saucedo-mercer-releases-two-videos-in-race-for-cd-7/

The Off the Record Debate series, with breakfast from 7 to 7:30 a.m. will feature a political debate from 7:30 to 8 a.m. Republican National committeeman Bruce Ash will moderate a debate about SB 1070′s “effectiveness at curbing illegal immigration”. Arguing for SB 1070 is LD 30 State Senator Frank Antenori, and arguing against it is LD 28 House Rep. Steve Farley. Ash is also in contention to be Chair of the Arizona Republican Party.

The cost is $40 per debate or $110 for the remainder of the season. For reservations, e-mail David Foster at david@votesmart.org. The nonpartisan Project Vote Smart, which is housed at the University of Arizona, hosted a series of these debates which kicked off on November 11, 2009, promoting a public political discourse. Read more at UA News.

I heard these same gentleman debate last May for “Wake Up Tucson” 1030 AM KVOI Radio, (click here), just after SB 1070 was signed into law on April 23, 2010 by Governor Jan Brewer. They also debated about many legislative issues facing Arizona.

Should be another exciting debate between Antenori and Farley, especially as it concerns immigration, a hot issue in Tucson and Southern Arizona.

UPDATE: Senator Antenori unable to debate after all, will be replaced by LD 30 House Rep. Ted Vogt, per David at Project Vote Smart.

Senator Frank Antenori

Rep. Steve Farley

Bruce Ash, moderator

Rep. Ted Vogt

In 1821, Mexico won its independence from Spain after a decade of war. The revolution had destroyed the colonial silver mining industry and had bankrupted the national treasury. Along the northern frontier, funds that had supported missions, presidios and trading routes were reduced. As missions began to wither without military protection, Mexico began auctioning off more land (land grants). The revolution also impacted the relationship between the Europeans, Pueblos and non-pueblo natives such as the Apache and Navajo.

The Mexican period came to a close with the influx of Americans. In 1846, the annexation of Texas led to the Mexican-American War, ultimately resulting in the Mexican Cession, in which the United States acquired the region of Arizona north of the Gila River in 1848. The California gold rush brought more Americans through Arizona. The Mexican period closed with the Gadsden Purchase in 1854 and the last of the Mexican army leaving Tucson in 1856.

Arizona officially became the U.S. Territory of Arizona from February 24, 1863 until February 14, 1912, when it was admitted to the Union as the 48th state.
That was almost 100 years ago.

Arizona state flag

Currently about 30.8% (2009 estimate) of the State of Arizona has individuals claiming to be of Hispanic origin, but we are awaiting the official 2010 Census results. Many local Mexican-American families here in Tucson are 5th generation Americans, like District 5 Pima County Supervisor Richard Elias‘ familia.

Blogger Hugh Holub has a recent report on Arizona’s 6.4 million population. “Hispanics are the fastest-growing demographic group in the state, as well as in the country.”

Other Hispanic politicians in Southern Arizona: Congressman Raul Grijalva (CD 7), Pima County Supervisor Chair Ramon Valadez (District 2), Pima County Recorder F. Ann Rodriguez, Tucson Councilmembers Regina Romero (Ward 1) and Richard Fimbres (Ward 5), LD 27 Senator-elect Olivia Cajero Bedford, LD 27 House Rep.-elect Dr. Macario Saldate, TUSD Governing Board members Adelita Grijalva (Raul’s daughter), & Miguel Cuevas.

So therefore, based on Arizona’s history as having been once Spanish-speaking Mexico and the current increasing ethnic population figures, my Christmas message this year is “Feliz Navidad”. I always sing along when I hear Jose Feliciano‘s popular song with that title (written by him in 1970) on the radio.

Happy holidays everyone.

Feliz Navidad, prospero año y felicidad.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 22, 2010

CONTACT:

Maria Archuleta, ACLU, (212) 519-7808 or 549-2666; media@aclu.org

Jon O’Neill, ACLU of Arizona, (602) 773-6007; joneill@acluaz.org

Laura Rodriguez, MALDEF, (310) 956-2425; lrodriguez@maldef.org

Adela de la Torre, NILC, (213) 400-7822; delatorre@nilc.org

Karin Wang, APALC, (213) 241-0234 or 999-5640; kwang@apalc.org

Marco Loera, NDLON, (602) 373-3859; mloera@ndlon.org

Leila McDowell, NAACP, (202) 463-2940 ext. 1021; lmcdowell@naacpnet.org

“PHOENIX – At a hearing today in a federal court in Phoenix, the American Civil Liberties Union and a coalition of civil rights groups argued that Arizona’s discriminatory new law, known as SB 1070, should be blocked pending a final court ruling on its constitutionality. The law, scheduled to go into effect on July 29, requires police to demand “papers” from people they stop who they suspect are “unlawfully present” in the U.S. According to the coalition, the law would subject massive numbers of people – both citizens and non-citizens – to racial profiling, improper investigations and detention.

The U.S. Department of Justice, in a separate lawsuit, will also ask the court to block SB 1070 in a hearing later today.

The court, in the civil rights coalition’s case, will also hear arguments on the state of Arizona’s motion to dismiss the case.

The civil rights coalition includes the ACLU, MALDEF, National Immigration Law Center (NILC), Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC) – a member of the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice – ACLU of Arizona, National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The law firm of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP is acting as co-counsel in the case.

Omar Jadwat, staff attorney with the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project and Nina Perales, Southwest Regional Counsel for MALDEF, argued the case on behalf of the civil rights groups.

In May, the coalition filed a lawsuit challenging the extreme law charging that it invites the racial profiling of people of color, violates the First Amendment and interferes with federal law. Friday’s filing seeks to halt implementation of the law while the case is litigated.

The following quotes can be attributed to members of the coalition, as listed below.

Omar Jadwat, staff attorney with the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project:

“We are asking the court to block SB 1070 right now because if this discriminatory law went into effect for even one day, it would be one day too many. Any law that requires law enforcement to ask people they stop and suspect of being undocumented for their ‘papers’ violates the U.S. Constitution and the American values of fairness and equality. This law is a clear invitation for racial profiling, and we’re confident that the court will understand the importance of preventing it from ever taking effect.”

Linton Joaquin, General Counsel of NILC:

“Judge Bolton heard from lawyers representing organizations ranging from small non-profit service providers to the federal government, asking her to block the implementation of this pernicious law. Inaction on SB 1070 will lead to widespread fear and threatens the constitutional rights and societal values of all Arizonans. Unified voices of civil rights leaders, law enforcement officers and interested citizens are fighting to keep this unconstitutional law from hurting countless Arizonans and undermining our nation’s values of fair treatment under the law.”

Julie Su, Litigation Director of APALC:

“We are here today in Arizona to ensure that SB 1070 does not take effect next week, as this fundamentally unconstitutional law opens the door for law enforcement to discriminate against Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders and other people of color who look or sound ‘foreign.’ We have faith the court understands that immigration enforcement is solely the responsibility of the federal government and that it will block this modern-day version of the Chinese Exclusion Act.”

Alessandra Soler Meetze, Executive Director of the ACLU of Arizona:

“While proponents of SB 1070 would have us believe that they have a monopoly on the rule of law, the federal court remains the arbiter of justice in this case. The courageous plaintiffs who have come forward to challenge this unconstitutional racial profiling law are optimistic that the judge will strike down this discriminatory law, which has already resulted in the harassment of innocent people.”

Organizations and attorneys on the case, Friendly House et al. v. Halliday et al., include:

• ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project: Jadwat, Lucas Guttentag, Cecillia Wang, Tanaz Moghadam and Harini P. Raghupathi;

• MALDEF: Perales, Thomas A. Saenz, Cynthia Valenzuela Dixon, Victor Viramontes, Gladys Limón, Nicholás Espiritu and Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal;

• NILC: Joaquin, Karen Tumlin, Nora A. Preciado, Melissa S. Keaney, Vivek Mittal and Ghazal Tajmiri;

• ACLU Foundation of Arizona: Dan Pochoda and Annie Lai;

• APALC: Su, Ronald Lee, Yungsuhn Park, Connie Choi and Carmina Ocampo;

• NDLON: Chris Newman;

• NAACP: Laura Blackburne;

• Munger Tolles & Olson LLP: Bradley S. Phillips, Paul J. Watford, Joseph J. Ybarra, Susan T. Boyd, Yuval Miller, Elisabeth J. Neubauer and Benjamin Maro;

• Roush, McCracken, Guerrero, Miller & Ortega: Daniel R. Ortega, Jr.

The motion for a preliminary injunction can be found at:
www.aclu.org/immigrants-rights-racial-justice/friendly-house-et-al-v-whiting-et-al-plaintiffs-motion-preliminary-

A new ACLU video about how the SB 1070 invites racial profiling can be found at:
www.aclu.org/immigrants-rights-racial-justice/would-you-ask-man-his-papers

More information about the Arizona law can be found at:

www.aclu.org/what-happens-arizona-stops-arizona ”

Alessandra Soler Meetze

Executive Director

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Arizona

P.O. Box 17148

Phoenix, AZ 85011-0148

Phone: 602-773-6006 (direct) or 602-650-1854 (general)

Fax: 602-650-1376

Visit us on-line at: www.acluaz.org

En Español: http://www.acluaz.org/en_espanol_main.html

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, June 30, 2010

CONTACT: Jon O’Neill at 602-773-6007, joneill@acluaz.org

PHOENIX – Amid growing concern that people are being targeted by law enforcement even before Arizona’s new racial profiling law takes effect, the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona today issued an updated “Know Your Rights” bust card that spells out the rights and responsibilities of citizens and non-citizens when they are stopped by police.

The bust card is being issued in conjunction with “Travel Alerts” posted today by other ACLU affiliates that warn travelers their civil rights could be violated while passing through or staying in Arizona. Racial profiling victims are also being urged to contact the ACLU of Arizona with any complaints they may have.

The unconstitutional law – known as SB 1070 – is not scheduled to go into effect until July 29, but the ACLU of Arizona has already received complaints from people who believe they were profiled by law enforcement because they look “foreign.” Since April, the ACLU of Arizona has received a steady increase in reports involving individuals who were asked to confirm their identity or citizenship status.

SB 1070 requires law enforcement agents to demand “papers” from people they stop who they suspect are “unlawfully present” in the United States. If individuals are unable to prove to officers that they have permission to be here, they may be detained indefinitely without probable cause to believe they have committed a crime.

“In Arizona, SB 1070 has caused relations between community members and police to go from bad to worse,” said ACLU of Arizona Executive Director Alessandra Soler Meetze. “Two of the largest police departments in the state – DPS and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office – have had to defend against accusations of racial profiling in Court. On top of that, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice for suspected civil rights violations.”

The ACLU and other organizations filed a lawsuit challenging the Arizona immigration law in May, but until the law is struck down, the ACLU warns that individuals should be aware of their rights if stopped by police, especially while they are traveling on busy highways during the July 4th weekend.

The case challenging SB 1070 is the third ACLU lawsuit against government officials in Arizona on behalf of a besieged minority community. In August 2009, the organization filed a lawsuit on behalf of a Latino citizen and lawful resident who were forcibly transported by MCSO deputies to the site of a worksite raid. In addition, the group’s lawsuit challenging unlawful stops of Latino drivers and passengers by MCSO is moving forward following the discovery of thousands of documents MCSO had previously failed to disclose. The parties are scheduled to go back to court July 16.

“Our goal is to protect Arizona residents from misconduct by law enforcement, and to make sure they know their rights should they be subject to it,” added Meetze. “Unfortunately, we’re already hearing stories about individuals being harassed by police based on their accent, appearance, or where they come from. It is important for people to understand that they have the right to politely decline additional questioning, to refuse a consent search, and to ask to speak to an attorney. These rights are not just reserved to citizens of this country but are available to everyone.”

The downloadable ACLU “bust card” contains information on coping with vehicle stops and questioning by police, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, and the FBI. In addition, the ACLU has made available a Q&A flier in both English and Spanish. The organization is urging individuals who have experienced racial profiling by police to complete a new online complaint form at: http://www.acluaz.org/intake/html/ or call 602-650-1854.

To view the “bust card” on your mobile device, go to:

English: http://mobile.aclu.org

Spanish: http://mobile.aclu.org/espanol

More information about the Arizona law, including an ACLU video and slide show, can be found at: www.acluaz.org.

To read the ACLU of Arizona’s report documenting the on-going problem of racial profiling by the Arizona Department of Public Safety, visit: http://www.acluaz.org/DrivingWhileBlackorBrown.pdf

Alessandra Soler Meetze

Executive Director

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Arizona

P.O. Box 17148

Phoenix, AZ 85011-0148

Phone: 602-773-6006 (direct) or 602-650-1854 (general)

Fax: 602-650-1376

Visit us on-line at: www.acluaz.org

En Español: http://www.acluaz.org/en_espanol_main.html

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 17, 2010

CONTACT:

Maria Archuleta, ACLU, (212) 519-7808 or 549-2666; media@aclu.org

Alessandra Soler Meetze, ACLU of Arizona, (602) 773-6006 or 418-5499

Laura Rodriguez, MALDEF, (310) 956-2425; lrodriguez@maldef.org

Adela de la Torre, NILC, (213) 674-2832; delatorre@nilc.org

Karin Wang, APALC, (213) 241-0234 or 999-5640; kwang@apalc.org

Leila McDowell, NAACP, (202) 463-2940 ext. 1021

PHOENIX – The American Civil Liberties Union and a coalition of civil rights groups filed a class action lawsuit today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona challenging Arizona’s new law requiring police to demand “papers” from people they stop who they suspect are not authorized to be in the U.S. The extreme law, the coalition charged, invites the racial profiling of people of color, violates the First Amendment and interferes with federal law.

The coalition filing the lawsuit includes the ACLU, MALDEF, National Immigration Law Center (NILC), the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), ACLU of Arizona, National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) and the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC) – a member of the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice.

“Arizona’s law is quintessentially un-American: we are not a ‘show me your papers’ country, nor one that believes in subjecting people to harassment, investigation and arrest simply because others may perceive them as foreign,” said Omar Jadwat, a staff attorney with the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project. “This law violates the Constitution and interferes with federal law, and we are confident that we will prevent it from ever taking effect.”

The lawsuit charges that the Arizona law unlawfully interferes with federal power and authority over immigration matters in violation of the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution; invites racial profiling against people of color by law enforcement in violation of the equal protection guarantee and prohibition on unreasonable seizures under the 14th and Fourth Amendments; and infringes on the free speech rights of day laborers and others in Arizona.

“This discriminatory law pushes Arizona into a spiral of fear, increased crime and costly litigation,” said Victor Viramontes, MALDEF Senior National Counsel. “We expect that this misguided law will be enjoined before it takes effect.”

One of the individuals the coalition is representing in the case, Jim Shee, is a U.S.-born 70-year-old American citizen of Spanish and Chinese descent. Shee asserts that he will be vulnerable to racial profiling under the law, and that, although the law has not yet gone into effect, he has already been stopped twice by local law enforcement officers in Arizona and asked to produce his “papers.”

Another plaintiff, Jesus Cuauhtémoc Villa, is a resident of the state of New Mexico who is currently attending Arizona State University. The state of New Mexico does not require proof of U.S. citizenship or immigration status to obtain a driver’s license. Villa does not have a U.S. passport and does not want to risk losing his birth certificate by carrying it with him. He worries about traveling in Arizona without a valid form of identification that would prove his citizenship to police if he is pulled over. If he cannot supply proof upon demand, Arizona law enforcement is required to arrest and detain him.

Several prominent law enforcement groups, including the Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police, oppose the law because it diverts limited resources from law enforcement’s primary responsibility of providing protection and promoting public safety in the community and undermines trust and cooperation between local police and immigrant communities.

“This ill-conceived law sends a clear message to communities of color that the authorities are not to be trusted, making them less likely to come forward as victims of or witnesses to crime,” said Linton Joaquin, General Counsel of NILC. “Arizona’s authorities should not allow public safety to take a back seat to racial profiling.”

“African-Americans know all too well the insidious effects of racial profiling,” said Benjamin Todd Jealous, President and Chief Executive Officer of the NAACP. “The government should be preventing police from investigating and detaining people based on color and accent, not mandating it. Laws that encourage discrimination have no place in this country anywhere for anyone.”

“This extreme law puts Arizona completely out of step with American values of fairness and equality,” said Julie Su, Litigation Director of the APALC. “In a state where U.S. citizens of Japanese descent were interned during World War II, it is deeply troubling that a law that would mandate lower-class treatment of people of color, immigrants and others seen to be outsiders would pass in 2010.”

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of labor, domestic violence, day laborer, human services and social justice organizations, including Friendly House, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), SEIU Local 5, United Food and Commercial Workers International (UFCW), Arizona South Asians for Safe Families (ASAFSF), Southside Presbyterian Church, Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Asian Chamber of Commerce of Arizona, Border Action Network, Tonatierra Community Development Institute, Muslim American Society, Japanese American Citizens League, Valle del Sol, Inc., Coalicíon De Derechos Humanos, and individual named plaintiffs who will be subject to harassment or arrest under the law and a class of similarly situated persons.

“Day laborers have repeatedly defended their First Amendment rights in federal courts and successfully established their undeniable right to seek work in public areas,” said Pablo Alvarado, Executive Director of NDLON. “Arizona’s effort to criminalize day laborers and migrants is an affront to the Constitution and threatens to disrupt national unity, and we are confident that federal courts will intervene to ensure the protection of our bedrock civil rights.”

Even prior to the passage of the statute, local enforcement of federal immigration law has already caused rampant racial profiling of Latinos in Arizona, most notably in Maricopa County. The ACLU, MALDEF and other members of the coalition have several pending lawsuits against government officials in Arizona because of civil rights abuses of U.S. citizens and immigrants.

Organizations and attorneys on the case, Friendly House et al. v. Whiting et al., include:

• ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project: Jadwat, Lucas Guttentag, Cecillia Wang, Tanaz Moghadam and Harini P. Raghupathi;

• MALDEF: Viramontes, Tom Saenz, Cynthia Valenzuela Dixon, Nina Perales, Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal, Gladys Limón and Nicholás Espiritu;

• NILC: Joaquin, Karen C. Tumlin, Nora A. Preciado, Melissa S. Keaney, Vivek Mittal and Ghazal Tajmiri;

• ACLU Foundation of Arizona: Dan Pochoda and Annie Lai;

• APALC: Su, Ronald Lee, Yungsuhn Park, Connie Choi and Carmina Ocampo;

• NDLON: Chris Newman and Lisa Kung;

• NAACP: Laura Blackburne;

• Munger Tolles & Olson LLP: Bradley S. Phillips, Paul J. Watford, Elizabeth J. Neubauer,Joseph J. Ybarra, Susan T. Boyd and Yuval Miller; and

• Roush, Mccracken, Guerrero, Miller & Ortega: Daniel R. Ortega, Jr.

The complaint is attached and can be found at: http://www.acluaz.org/SB1070_Complaint.pdf

More information about the Arizona law, including an ACLU video and slide show, can be found at: www.aclu.org/what-happens-arizona-stops-arizona

Alessandra Soler Meetze

Executive Director

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Arizona

P.O. Box 17148

Phoenix, AZ 85011-0148

T: 602-773-6006 (direct)

T: 602-650-1854 ext. 106

F: 602-650-1376

Visit us on the web at: www.acluaz.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 29, 2010

CONTACT:

Maria Archuleta, ACLU, (212) 519-7808 or 549-2666; media@aclu.org

Lindsay Nordstrom, ACLU of Arizona, (602) 773-6005

Laura Rodriguez, MALDEF, (310) 956-2425

Grace Chang, MALDEF, (909) 706-5147

Donald Gatlin, MALDEF, (202) 821-7923

Adela de la Torre, NILC, (213) 674-2832

PHOENIX – Today, MALDEF, the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Arizona and the National Immigration Law Center (NILC) held a news conference on the House of Representatives Lawn of the Arizona State Capitol Building in Phoenix, Arizona to announce their future legal challenge to Governor Jan Brewer’s recently signed SB1070. In addition, the organizations sought to address misinformation and fears that have been spreading throughout the Latino community across Arizona. MALDEF, ACLU, ACLU of Arizona and NILC leaders were joined by civil rights leaders Dolores Huerta, Richard Chavez and multi-Grammy winning artist and human rights advocate, Linda Ronstadt.

“Today, the three most experienced immigrants’ and civil rights legal organizations nationwide – MALDEF, ACLU and NILC – announce their partnership, together with local Arizona-based counsel, to challenge SB1070 in court,” stated MALDEF President and General Counsel Thomas A. Saenz. “The Arizona community can be assured that a vigorous and sophisticated legal challenge will be mounted, in advance of SB1070′s implementation, seeking to prevent this unconstitutional and discriminatory law from ever taking effect.”

“This law will only make the rampant racial profiling of Latinos that is already going on in Arizona much worse,” said Alessandra Soler Meetze, Executive Director of the ACLU of Arizona. “If this law were implemented, citizens would effectively have to carry ‘their papers’ at all times to avoid arrest. It is a low point in modern America when a state law requires police to demand documents from people on the street.”

Linton Joaquin, General Counsel of NILC, added, “This unconstitutional law sends a strong message to all immigrants to have no contact with any law enforcement officer. The inevitable result is not only to make immigrants more vulnerable to crime and exploitation, but also to make the entire community less safe, by aggressively discouraging witnesses and victims from reporting crimes.”

There are a number of serious constitutional problems with the law, the groups say. It violates the supremacy clause by interfering with federal immigration power and authority. The law also unlawfully invites racial profiling against Latinos and other people of color.

“What we are witnessing today is the blatant targeting of an entire American population, Latinos,” stated civil rights leader Dolores Huerta. “We must not give in one inch in Arizona’s effort to blame our community for all the ills of the state or their efforts to run us out. We have worked this land, built and maintained these buildings and sacrificed as much as any other. We must put an end to SB1070.”

“My family, of both German and Mexican heritage, has a long history in Arizona. It has been our diverse and shared history in this state that unites us and makes us stronger,” stated Linda Ronstadt. “What Governor Brewer signed into law last week is a piece of legislation that threatens the very heart of this great state. We must come together and stop SB1070 from pitting neighbor against neighbor to the detriment of us all.”

Alessandra Soler Meetze

Executive Director

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Arizona

P.O. Box 17148

Phoenix, AZ 85011-0148

T: 602-773-6006 (direct)

T: 602-650-1854 ext. 106

F: 602-650-1376

Visit us on the web at: www.acluaz.org

ACLU of Arizona logo

ACLU of Arizona logo

Arizona Immigration Law Threatens Civil Rights And Public Safety, Says ACLU

Law Will Poison Community Policing Efforts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 23, 2010

CONTACT:

Alessandra Soler Meetze, ACLU of Arizona, (602) 773-6006 (office) or 418-5499

Maria Archuleta, ACLU, (212) 519-7808 or 549-2666; media@aclu.org

PHOENIX – Arizona Governor Jan Brewer today signed into law Arizona’s discriminatory immigration enforcement bill which requires law enforcement to question individuals about their immigration status during everyday police encounters. The law creates new immigration crimes and penalties inconsistent with those in federal law, asserts sweeping authority to detain and transport persons suspected of violating civil immigration laws and prohibits speech and other expressive activity by persons seeking work. The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Arizona strongly condemn the governor’s decision to sign the unconstitutional law and are dismayed by her disregard for the serious damage it could cause to civil liberties and public safety in the state.

“Governor Brewer and the Arizona legislature have set Arizona apart in their willingness to sacrifice our liberties and the economy of this state,” said Alessandra Soler Meetze, Executive Director of the ACLU of Arizona. “By signing this bill into law, Brewer has just authorized violating the rights of millions of people living and working here. She has just given every police agency in Arizona a mandate to harass anyone who looks or sounds foreign, while doing nothing to address the real problems we’re facing.”

The new law, which will not go into effect for more than 90 days, requires police agencies across Arizona to investigate the immigration status of every person they come across whom they have “reasonable suspicion” to believe is in the country unlawfully. To avoid arrest, citizens and immigrants will effectively have to carry their “papers” at all times. The law also makes it a state crime for immigrants to willfully fail to register with the Department of Homeland Security and carry registration documents. It further curtails the free speech rights of day laborers and encourages unchecked information sharing between government agencies.

“Forcing local police to demand people’s papers and arrest those who can’t immediately prove their status will do nothing to make us safer,” said Dan Pochoda, Legal Director of the ACLU of Arizona. “What it will do is divert scarce police resources to address false threats and force officers to prioritize immigration enforcement over all other public safety responsibilities. It is a dark day for Arizona when the goal of appeasing one state Senator, Russell Pearce, takes priority over fundamental rights and economic needs of residents.”

Before the governor signed the bill, President Obama criticized it harshly, calling it “misguided” and saying that it threatens to “undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans.” Obama promised to “closely monitor the situation and examine the civil rights and other implications of this legislation.”

The president’s statement is consistent with his longstanding opposition to anti-immigrant laws that attempt to bypass the federal government. As a senator, he lauded the 2007 legal ruling blocking the anti-immigrant law in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, calling the law “unconstitutional and unworkable.”

Despite the president’s statements, his administration has not taken strong action against state and local anti-immigrant laws, paving the way for extreme laws like the one signed today. Currently, the administration has a prime opportunity to take a stand on the issue, because the solicitor general will soon file a brief explaining the administration’s position on Arizona’s unconstitutional employer sanctions law, passed in 2007, which creates a state-level immigrant employment verification and sanctions regime.

“Actions speak louder than words,” said Omar Jadwat, a staff attorney with the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project. “As the federal government sits on its hands, Arizona’s anti-immigrant brushfires have turned into a firestorm. We call on the administration to file a brief categorically opposing Arizona’s employer sanctions law to demonstrate its commitment to stopping anti-immigrant laws that interfere with federal authority, wreak havoc on businesses and cause discrimination against Latinos.”

Additional materials on the “Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act” signed by Governor Brewer today, including the ACLU of Arizona’s analysis and written testimonies against the law, are available at: www.acluaz.org/legislature.html

The ACLU’s cert petition in the Arizona employer sanctions case, Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America et al. v. Candelaria et al., is available at: www.aclu.org/immigrants-rights/chamber-commerce-united-states-et-al-v-candelaria-petition-certiorari

Alessandra Soler Meetze
Executive Director
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Arizona

P.O. Box 17148
Phoenix, AZ 85011-0148
T: 602-773-6006 (direct)
T: 602-650-1854 ext. 106
F: 602-650-1376

Visit us on the web at: www.acluaz.org