Arizona immigration bill: Lawyers group to boycott Arizona

by Jessica Testa

The American Immigration Lawyers Association has vowed to boycott the state of Arizona, canceling their fall national convention at the Scottsdale Marriott.

The boycott comes hours after Gov. Jan Brewer signed Senate Bill 1070 into law.

"Right after the bill was signed, our board of governors had an emergency meeting and voted on whether or not we would keep the conference in Scottsdale," said former AILA chair Mo Goldman, a Tucson attorney.

The vote to cancel and relocate the convention was nearly unanimous, Goldman said.

The venue's penalty for canceling the event is approximately $92,000, though the association is attempting to mitigate the cost.

"As an association, we couldn't in good conscience spend the association's money in a state that has this kind of policy," Goldman said.

Goldman said AILA views the bill, which would allow officers to request citizenship identification from any person at any time, as unconstitutional.

It is unknown what the final costs of the cancellation will be.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/election/azelections/articles/2010/04/23/20100423arizona-immigration-bill-lawyer-group-boycotts-arizona.html

The State of Arizona passed SB1070. This law will call for regular police officers to request documentation from people to ascertain whether or not they are undocumented. This is racial profiling and discrimination, as the officers will be relying on the appearance of people to detain them. Many US citizens and residents will be wrongfully harassed and detained. We can vote with our dollars! Boycott the State of Arizona by vowing not to spend your vacation dollars in that state, whether that be by not engaging in tourism in Arizona, by not doing business within the state, or by not buying anything that comes from Arizona, (paying specific attention to corporations and businesses that support these mean spirited laws like SB1070, as well as, those supporting the likes of Sherrif Joe Arpaio and Senator Russell Pearce) until such a time that this law is overturned or ruled unconstitutional. Racial profiling and discrimination in any way, shape, or form, against any race or ethnic community, must not be tolerated. We must all stand together regardless of our racial and ethnic background. Immigration is a matter for the federal authorities to handle and should not to be delegated to the average police officer who is not trained in immigration law.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/boycott-arizona

Sphere: Related Content