State Rep. Tlaib Introduces Resolution Opposing Arizona’s Anti-Immigrant Law

Lansing – At a press conference on outside the Capitol in Lansing today, State Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) announced the introduction of a resolution opposing Arizona’s extreme anti-immigrant law.

“Michigan needs to go on record and oppose this hateful, misguided law,” said Tlaib, “It will make us all less safe and do nothing to fix our broken immigration system. We’re calling on Arizona to do the right thing and repeal SB 1070. As lawsuits and resolutions from major cities move forward, it should also be clear that copy-cat legislation has no place here in Michigan.” Resolutions opposing SB 1070 have been passed by many cities, including Cleveland, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington DC, Boston and Seattle. Cities such as Columbus, St. Paul, and Boulder have banned travel by city employees to Arizona.

Rep. Tlaib was joined at the press conference by Arizona State Representative Kyrsten Sinema (D-Phoenix). Sinema, a leader in the fight against SB 1070.

“It gives me great hope that we have powerful allies in our fight for a better Arizona,” said Sinema, “I fought hard in the Arizona State House to stop this hateful legislation because it plays politics with law enforcement and will make our communities less safe. We need our police to focus on dangerous criminals, not workers, families and students. The campaign against SB 1070 has become a national movement, and that’s because our broken immigration system is a national problem. Congress and the President need to step up and pass comprehensive immigration reform that fixes the system for the long-term.”

Also supporting the campaign resolution were faith leaders from the United Methodist Church.

“This law is too extreme for Arizona, and too extreme for Michigan,” said Laura Rampersad of the UMC’s Justice for Our Neighbors program in Grand Rapids, “Arizona has been the target of a boycott that has already cost the state nearly $100 million. That’s a steep cost for an ineffective policy. We want to make sure that similar legislation doesn’t pass here in Michigan. It would cost us jobs, international investment, and make us less internationally competitive.”

The resolution, which calls on Arizona to repeal the law and asks the Department of Justice to vigorously investigate potential civil rights violations, will be introduced into the State House today.

For more information, please visit: www.reformimmigrationforamerica.org, or send a text message with a word “justice” to 69866.