Alejandra Gomez, executive director of Arizona Living United for Change (LUCHA), a group of business owners, advocates and legislators, said Monday that she is asking businesses and governments to verify their citizenship status via email. -Speaked out against HCR 2060, a proposal that would require the use of Verify. Number of future workers and welfare recipients. (Photo by Martin Dreyfuss/Cronkite News)
PHOENIX – House Speaker Ben Thoma said the latest immigration bill could save Arizona billions of dollars a year in welfare benefits, but small business owners rallied Monday to encourage businesses and They argued that it would displace workers and harm the state in their place.
Business owners say HCR 2060, which would require proof of citizenship to work and receive public assistance, ended up creating fear among Arizona's Latino population, with support from advocates and Democratic lawmakers. He said it would be new and would have a negative impact on the state's economy.
“HCR 2060 will drive economic investment out of our state. It will instill fear in black and brown people,” said Jose “ET” Rivera, owner of Tres Leches Cafe in Phoenix. said. “As a first-generation Mexican-American business owner, I am deeply troubled. We are not welcome.”
Mr. Rivera was just one of the speakers at a rally organized by Sen. Flavio Bravo (D-Phoenix) to oppose Mr. Toma's proposal. The proposal is among a series of bills in Congress that critics have derided as “SB 1070 2.0,” a reference to the bill. In 2010, the state introduced a controversial “show me your documents” law.
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“I was here for the fight. I was here for the family separation,” said Alejandra Gomez, executive director of Living United for Change Arizona (LUCHA). talked about the era of I came here because of the pain and fallout in our economy and our neighborhoods…We will not return to that division and hatred. ”
Toma did not respond to a request for comment about Monday's rally. But the Glendale Republican said in remarks last week that his proposal was needed to address what he called an “invasion” at the southern border, where the governor and the federal government are “doing nothing.” .
“We may not be able to do the federal job, but we can stop Arizona from becoming like California,” Thoma said at the time. “Our message to illegal immigrants is simple: If you want to take advantage of Americans, go elsewhere.”
He called his proposal “one of the toughest laws on illegal immigration ever enacted.” Businesses and local governments will be required to check the citizenship status of people seeking work or public assistance. “Intentionally assisting an illegal alien in violating employment laws is also a felony,” Thoma said.
Gov. Katie Hobbs on Monday voiced opposition to HCR 2060 and other immigration bills, calling them “anti-immigrant bills designed to kill jobs and score cheap political points.” But she may not be able to stop it. Unlike most bills, Thoma's resolution bypasses the governor and goes directly to voters as a ballot initiative this fall, which Hobbs called “a desperate partisan attempt to circumvent the legislative process.” I'm calling.
But Heritage Action for America defended Thomas' plan in a statement last week, saying the resolution protects Arizonans from the federal government's “prioritization” of illegal immigrants.
“HCR 2060 protects American workers through a common-sense E-Verify program and stems the flow of illegal immigration by taking away a major magnet for people flooding across the border,” the group said in a statement.
Thomas' proposal passed the House on a party-line vote of 31-28 on Thursday and now needs to pass the Senate.
Joseph Garcia, executive director of the Chicanos Por La Causa Action Fund, said he hopes the bill doesn't pass the Senate, but Monday's rally will educate new voters in Arizona who aren't living with SB1070. He said it was necessary.
“We know that SB 1070 has given Arizona a very negative reputation internationally. It’s important,” Garcia said.
Jose “ET” Rivera, owner of Tres Leches Cafe, said he is “very troubled” by the message HCR2060 sends to minority communities and the economic damage it will cause to small businesses. (Photo by Martin Dreyfuss/Cronkite News)
Although SB 1070 allowed authorities to request immigration status for people they arrested, critics said the law was quickly misused by police who used the law as a pretext to harass minority communities. Most of the law was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2012 as violating federal authority.
Garcia said immigration is being used as a “wedge issue” by Republicans in an election year, a position echoed by Monica Villalobos, president of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
“It's lazy politics to scapegoat immigrants to get elected, especially since this type of bill has already been struck down by the courts,” Villalobos said Monday.
He said this is a troubling position for Republicans, who advocate supporting small businesses.
“I didn't leave the Republican Party. The Republican Party left me,” Villalobos said. “It (SB 1070) has not only had a negative impact on the state's image, but also on the state's economy. Families are being torn apart and instead of supporting small businesses, Republicans are pushing through devastating policies.”
