Momentum building against anti-immigration law in Arizona

It has been just two weeks since Arizona pass a controversial law that gives law enforcement agents the power to question anyone they suspect of not having documentation. The new law is doing what some commentators thought it might do……give strength to the immigrant rights movement.

Some organizations like the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) have called for a boycott of Arizona. Their Press Release from yesterday states, “When a law so contrary to our values is passed, we must act decisively. We are calling for a boycott because this law will blow open the door to increased racial profiling, wrongful arrests, and other discrimination.”

The boycott is calling on people to not do any business in Arizona or visit Arizona as a tourist. The NCLR has created a pledge that they are asking individuals and organizations to sign on to, a pledge that details the parameters of the boycott.

The call for a formal boycott has already resulted in at least 23 major meetings/conferences in Arizona that will cost the state $6 million dollars. In addition, some truckers are refusing to make deliveries into Arizona, an action they are organizing over their CB radios.

One of the more interesting arenas of resistance is in the world of professional sports. The professional baseball team from Arizona, the Diamondbacks, are being greeted with protests whenever they play on the road. Last week when they were playing in Chicago they were greeted with an organized protest of immigrant rights groups, holding a large banner that said “Shame on Arizona.”

The players union of professional baseball also has come out against the anti-immigrant law in Arizona. In a May 4 media release they state, “The Major League Baseball Players Association opposes this law as written.  We hope that the law is repealed or modified promptly.  If the current law goes into effect, the MLBPA will consider additional steps necessary to protect the rights and interests of our members.”

According to Left sports writer Dave Zirin, the pressure against the Arizona baseball team has forced the owner, Ken Kendrick (a long time supporter of anti-immigrant laws), to publicly state that he now is against the Arizona law. Zirin believes that the pressure needs to increase and that fans should call for a boycott of the Major League All Star Game, which is scheduled to be played in Phoenix this July.

But baseball is not the only sport that his making headlines in opposition to the racist Arizona law. The NBA team based in Arizona, the Phoenix Suns, in a statement of solidarity wore jerseys that said “Los Suns” on May 5^th, Cinco de Mayo, to support immigrant rights and to challenge the Arizona law. Team owner Robert Sarver, released a statement on May 5 that read in part: “The frustration with the federal government’s failure to deal with the issue of illegal immigration resulted in passage of a flawed state law. However intended, the result of passing this law is that our basic principles of equal rights and protection under the law are being called into question, and Arizona’s already struggling economy will suffer even further setbacks at a time when the state can ill-afford them.”

One player on the Phoenix Suns, Steve Nash, stated recently on a sports talk program that the law is bad for civil liberties and will create a climate of racial profiling. Taking these kinds of positions is not new for Nash, he was the first professional athlete to speak out against the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.

We are encouraged by these actions and will continue to report any new developments in this struggle for immigrant and racial justice in the coming weeks and months.