The fight for fair and just immigration policies was bolstered Monday when the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the state of Arizona and upheld a lower court’s temporary injunction of the harsh anti-immigrant law known as SB 1070.
In its decision, the court ruled that Arizona overstepped its authority in trying to regulate immigration, and immigration advocates, including the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), lauded the decision as a great step forward in repealing the law.
“Today’s ruling is a victory for all Americans,” said Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO. “Laws such as SB 1070 are costly, unconstitutional, and ineffective, and they leave us nowhere near a solution to our broken immigration system.”
While the ruling was a welcome development, we must remember that the fight is not over when it comes to ending these policies. Backers of the law, including Arizona Governor Jan Brewer and the state’s attorney general, are already vowing to fight this decision all the way to the Supreme Court.
On the same day that the Ninth Circuit issued its decision, legislators in the Georgia Senate passed an Arizona-style copycat known as HB 87. The bill now goes back to the Georgia House where lawmakers must reconcile the Senate version. The clock is ticking, however, as the Georgia legislature ends April 14. Despite the looming deadline, advocates on the ground and at the national level are doing all they can to make sure that HB 87 does not become Georgia law. NCLR is hopeful that HB 87 will meet the same fate as other copycat laws and is making sure that legislators everywhere take note.
“This [Ninth Circuit] decision is also a cautionary note for legislators in other states seeking to follow Arizona’s misguided path,” said Murguia. “Already, many states have said ‘No’ to copycats of Arizona’s racial profiling law, and a growing and diverse set of business, faith, civil rights, labor, and social justice leaders are coming together to reject these unconstitutional and costly schemes and demand sensible immigration reform.”
The ongoing fight over immigration is the backdrop for the upcoming general election. If anything is clear from the latest U.S. Census figures, it is that both the Republican and the Democratic Parties will have to win over the Latino community if they want to be victorious in elections. Support for anti-immigrant laws is largely viewed as a liability for anyone who may have political aspirations. Indeed, a recent Wall Street Journal report suggests that the Hispanic population’s uptick may pose a challenge to the Republican Party, which could be in trouble because so many of its members have been leading the charge to crack down on immigrants.
NCLR will continue to follow developments in the fight against unfair and unjust immigration laws, so be sure to check back here often. And if you haven’t done so already, join our campaign to Boycott Intolerance to show your opposition to SB 1070. You can also sign up for the NCLR Action Network to make your voice heard about issues affecting the Latino community.