United Farm Workers Vows to Fight Racist Supreme Court decision
/From The Californian (Salinas, California)
By, Arturo S. Rodriguez, United Farm Workers of America, President
The United Farm Workers is disappointed in the court's decision to uphold a part of the Arizona's immigration law SB 1070 that allows police to ask for immigration papers whenever it is conducting a traffic stop or an investigation on any other violation. The Supreme Court eliminated other key parts of SB1070, but the "show me your papers" provision of SB 1070 was allowed to go into effect. The provision mandates that police officers demand "papers" of anyone they suspect of being in the country without authorization. This law cold-heartedly legalizes discrimination based on the color of your skin or the way you speak.
With this decision, Arizona can now implement and enforce its own immigration law. Members of the Latino community in Arizona will be subject to discrimination and harassment by local and state law enforcement. Anyone who looks "reasonably suspicious" can be detained and arrested at the discretion of local and state police. This law violates our constitutional rights and is a setback to equal justice. The UFW along with our sister organization the UFW Foundation and other labor, civil rights and immigrant rights groups will not stand for this. This is a temporary setback and we will continue to fight against provisions and state laws similar to Arizona's SB 1070.
The UFW Foundation is a Board of Immigration Appeals recognized organization that offers immigration legal services to low-income families in California and Arizona. Together through our civic engagement programs we will host educational meetings in all of our areas (California, Arizona, Washington and Oregon) to ensure members receive honest and accurate information. We will register voters and help families apply for citizenship. Most importantly, we will continue to push congress for Comprehensive Immigration Reform.
The UFW Foundation will be holding public town hall meetings the first and second week of July to provide information on SB 1070 and the recent announcement of President Obama to provide temporary immigration status to certain young people. The town hall meetings will be held in Bakersfield, Arvin, Stockton, Delano, Fresno, Oxnard, Salinas and Greenfield.
The farmworker movement encourages everyone eligible to register to vote and take a stand.
We need legislators in office who will champion and support just and humane immigration policies and defeat politicians who create laws like SB 1070. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has not said whether he is for or against SCOTUS ruling or the Obama administration's deferred action order for Dreamers. Yet, he said in the past that he will veto the Dream Act if elected president.
What Latinos and immigrants want is clarity from their lawmakers.
Will candidates use Latino immigrants as a political punching bag? Will they focus on solutions such as the Dream Act, the broadly supported bipartisan AgJOBS bill, negotiated by the United Farm Workers and some of the nation's key growers or a comprehensive immigration reform that allows hard working people the opportunity to come forward and continue to be an asset to this country?
It's time for all of us to do our part and protect our immigrant families, friends and neighbors, and our communities. We will be ready to vote in November.
