Friday, April 23, 2010

Obama Slams Arizona's Pending Law Against Immigrants and its Citizens

Update: Arizona governor signs the law making people with brown skin suspect of breaking the law. Read the bill here.

Obama spoke this morning at a naturalization ceremony for active duty service members. See the video below. The danger of the new law is that if you have brown skin, you could be suspect.
President Barack Obama on Thursday criticized a pending Arizona law that would make it a state crime to be in the United States illegally and require anyone suspected of being an illegal immigrant to produce identification.

Such legislation could "threaten to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans," the president said during a naturalization ceremony for members of the United States Armed Services. MSNBC
Arizona has a huge immigration problem. But wouldn't it be nice if right wing types could talk about immigrants as if they were actually people. Instead, they blame them for every social ill. They use hate speech and they discriminate. Mexicans come here to do the low-wage jobs that Americans won't do.
Why not crack down on the employers that are exploiting people? If companies had to pay a legal and livable wage, then there wouldn't be illegal immigration, because Americans would sign up for those jobs.
Arizona has an estimated 460,000 illegal immigrants and is the nation's busiest border crossing point.

Other provisions of the bill allow lawsuits against government agencies that hinder enforcement of immigration laws, and make it illegal to hire illegal immigrants for day labor or knowingly transport them.

The bill's sponsor, Republican Sen. Russell Pearce of Mesa, said it would remove "political handcuffs" from police and help drive illegal immigrants from the state.
John McCain, fighting for his Senate seat, supports the legislation. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer could veto the bill, but 70% of people in Arizona support it.
These are Obama's comments on Arizona's pending law at the end of the ceremony. I'll post full video when it comes available.

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