Rumors circulate of an immigration raid at Cinco de Mayo festivities. Markets normally bustling with customers preparing for the celebration are quiet. Family picnics are scaled back.Many Hispanics in Arizona are increasingly anxious about being targeted under the state’s tough anti-illegal immigration law. Some are afraid to leave their homes, even on the day when the nation celebrates Hispanic heritage.
“They don’t want to go to the park or clubs to celebrate because they’re scared,” said George Cortez, a 24-year-old U.S. citizen from Mesa, as he took a break from sweeping hair clippings at Eagle’s barbershop in the Phoenix suburb.The law’s passage unleashed a torrent of criticism against the state. Some fear the law, which requires police to question people about their immigration status if there is reason to suspect they’re in the country illegally, could lead to racial profiling.
The National Council of La Raza, United Food and Commercial Workers and others scheduled a news conference in Washington today to urge a boycott of Arizona.Immigrant rights activists say the law is racist. Supporters deny those claims, noting that the law says race can’t be a sole reason for questioning people. They say the law is forcing the nation to confront a longstanding problem.
But some comments have unnerved Hispanics. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., for example, said he’d support deporting U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants. He added “it takes more than walking across the border to be an American citizen.The debate has also played out in professional sports. The Phoenix Suns basketball team wore “Los Suns” jerseys in their playoff game Wednesday night, a show of support for the Hispanic community on Cinco de Mayo.
Obama on immigration
A White House Cinco de Mayo celebration erupted in applause when President Barack Obama, who has called the Arizona law “misguided,” acknowledged the Phoenix Suns’ action.Obama said Wednesday he wants to begin work this year on legislation overhauling the nation’s immigration system, but he offered no timetable to push for the actual passage of such legislation.”The way to fix our broken immigration system is through common-sense comprehensive immigration reform,” the president said. “I want to begin work this year, and I want Democrats and Republicans to work with me.”
Border security concern.In Washington, federal and state law enforcement officials told a Senate panel Wednesday that more federal funding is needed to help combat crimes linked to Mexico-based drug cartels.Donald Reay of the Texas Border Sheriff’s Coalition said more federal funding is needed to help states”The answer for border sheriffs is not to send more money to Mexico but augment the needs of our local law enforcement to contain that violence at the border,” Reay told the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, has filed a $300 million bill that would provide grants to local law enforcement agencies to hire personnel, pay overtime or buy equipment necessary to fight crime at the border. It also would create more federal judgeships for Southwest border states to step up prosecution of crimes.”We’ve asked for National Guard,” said Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas. “We need manpower, we need help.”
Santosamaru 