Phoenix, Arizona / EFE –
This week several pro-immigrant organizations asked Arizona Governor, Jan Brewer, to veto a bill that criminalizes the presence of undocumented people in that state.
About 150 people gathered outside the offices of the Republican president in Phoenix to deliver cards signed by community members who express their opposition to the project, that if becomes law, would make Arizona the first U.S. state to criminalize presence of aliens.
"We want the governor and the state legislature to realize that people disagree with this law," said Carlos Garcia, representing “Organización Puente” (Organization BRIDGE) in Arizona.
The initiative SB1070, led by Sen. Russell Pearce was approved by the Senate on 15 February, while the House passed on Wednesday a similar.
The initiative included an amendment that excludes firefighters and law enforcement agencies that provide emergency services to people regardless of their immigration status, thus, the initiative still faces two votes more before reaching the desk of Brewer.
"We all hoped that the proposal was going to be finally approved, but I think that with the pressure we put on them, we were able to postpone it again," Garcia said.
The move that hailed by activists as Arizona being " the state with the most extreme immigration law in the country," would also penalize those who harbor or transport undocumented immigrants.
Also, it authorizes local and state law enforcement agencies to question the immigration status of detainees if they have suspicions of who might be illegally in the country.
"We are asking the governor to realize the legal implications and can be unconstitutional if it becomes law," emphasized the activist.
He said more than 16,000 cards have been asking for the veto given to the Governor Office.
Brewer, who replaced Democrat Janet Napolitano when she was appointed Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), began her campaign for a new term as a governor during the November elections.
During his first government report, last January, the governor said she would sign any law against illegal immigration that reached his desk.
Arizona is one of the states with the tougher laws against illegal immigrants in the United States.
This state became the first to approve a law that penalizes businesses that knowingly hire undocumented workers and requires employers to verify the immigration status of their workers.
In Arizona, the authorities have the power to arrest and bring charges against undocumented workers who admit to having paid for the services of a dealer under its anti-coyote (anti-smuggler)law .
Last November a law that requires workers from government agencies to report to the immigration service to illegal immigrants who come to seek public assistance came into effect .
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