If one thing was clear after Tuesday’s election in Arizona, it was this: once the voters understand the anti-immigrant agenda, they do not accept it.
The voters of Arizona sent that message when they voted to oust Arizona Senate President Russell Pearce, author of the infamous anti-immigrant SB 1070. Since the passage of that misguided law, copycats have sprung up in places such as Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina. Pearce’s challenger, Jerry Lewis, also a Republican, has distanced himself from SB 1070 and said that the state rushed into passage of the bill. Lewis stated that he would have voted “no” on the bill, though he has said that he understands frustrations over immigration. Pearce’s bill made Arizona the subject of intense criticism from the civil rights community and cost the state more than $140 million in revenue—according to the Center for American Progress—because of cancelled events and business leaving Arizona.
In a statement, NCLR President and CEO Janet Murguía had this to say:
This vote is more than the defeat of one man; it’s a referendum on the dangerous and divisive immigration policies that were supported by far too many legislators in Arizona. Sen. Pearce chose to aggressively push a bill that attacked his own constituents and, ultimately, he paid for his actions with his job. His fall from grace should be a reminder to every politician in Arizona, and across the country, that they will ultimately answer to the people and that a law like SB 1070, which does nothing but create confusion and chaos, will do them no favors come Election Day.
Proponents of anti-immigrant laws have looked to Arizona as a beacon for navigating their xenophobic agendas. After this week’s sound defeat, however, legislators in those states may want to reconsider their vociferous support. Advocates throughout the nation have surely been emboldened by the victory in Arizona, and supporters of hate can rest assured that the immigrant rights community will continue to fight mightily against the injustice that anti-immigrant laws have established.