Prop. 187 for Arizona

Some years ago, California voters passed Proposition 187, which would have ceased public funding to illegal aliens. Governor Gray Davis and a U.S. District Court judge got it overturned. The former chairman of the CA Democratic Party referred to its being passed as the "last gasp of white America in California." The Mexican government actively opposed it.

Now, a group in Arizona has proposed a 187-like Initiative:

[Protect Arizona NOW Committee] Treasurer, local businessman Rusty Childress, adds, "The people of Arizona have heard more than enough of state and local officials' lame excuse that illegal immigration is a federal problem. Clearly. the federal government is endangering the whole country by not putting the military on our own borders?like the vast majority of Americans want done, but a lot of the underlying problem is that state and local governments have created a mammoth welfare state?illegally, with taxpayers' money?that attracts illegals here. These traitorous bureaucrats thumb their noses at their legal constituents and blatantly violate laws, even U.S. Supreme Court decisions. If elected leaders don't have the courage or integrity to stop this nonsense right now, the citizens of this state do have it and will stop it."

For a microcosm of the upcoming debate, consider the words used to describe those who this Initiative would affect. In the story above, they're referred to as "illegal aliens." In the Arizona Republic's story, they're referred to by various euphemisms, such as "undocumented migrants."

The Director of the Committe, Kathy McKee, wrote an editorial for the Arizona Republic a while back concerning a Phoenix day labor center:

INA ? 274A makes it unlawful to recruit an alien for employment or refer him for a fee, so the city is illegally facilitating employers who are illegally hiring these aliens. Councilwoman Peggy Neely said in an April 20, 2002 Republic article that "hiring immigrants for occasional day work is not unlawful." Unfortunately for Neely, I don't believe the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals agrees with her...

A Feb. 16 Republic article reported "unemployment" is 100 percent at some work centers in California, so day laborers peddle drugs for street gangs for pocket change. Proponents say the center needs to attract more employers - in other words, the city needs to coerce more employers to lay off citizens and legal immigrants, then hire illegal aliens?

You'll note that the Republic kindly failed to edit a few mistakes out of her article - including one in the title - as I suspect they would have with someone else.

Immigration2003 · Wed, 07/09/2003 - 11:15 · Importance: 4