Protesters from local activists groups used signs, chants and pink boxers to demonstrate their discontent with a controversial Arizona immigration law that has made headlines since it was signed into law April 23.
U. Texas Chicano student activist group MEChA and local civil rights group ¡ella pelea! coincidentally staged a protest at the same time as one held by the League of United Latin American Citizens on the U. Texas campus on Thursday. Both demonstrations expressed local frustrations over the law, which will give Arizona police the authority to ask citizens to prove their residency status on demand. The law authorizes police to question any person about whom there is “reasonable suspicion” that he or she may be an illegal immigrant. If the person cannot prove their legal resident status by producing verifiable alien registration papers, they may be subject to arrest and other penalties.
“They’re not going to stop someone who they don’t think looks illegal, but how do you determine that?” said Jenipher Paredes, a member of the league and a biology freshman at UT. “The constitution doesn’t say, ‘If you look Latino, you look illegal,’ but that’s what this law will mean. It’s insane. It’s racial profiling, and it is a big deal.”
The league staged their demonstration to educate students about the bill and encourage them to protest it. Members wore pink boxers and handcuffs in reference to Joe Arpaio, an Arizona sheriff famous for forcing prisoners to wear pink underwear and pink handcuffs.
¡ella pelea! organizer Sarah Carswell said their protest was a way for students and community members to take a united stand against the law and the precedent it sets.
“We can’t just appeal to the consciousness of the decision-makers, because they are obviously not taking our issues into account,” Carswell said. “It’s important for people to get together and send a message en masse that we won’t stand for this type of thing and we want to set our own agenda for what policy looks like.”
However, proponents of the law argue that it is simply enforcing existing federal standards on immigration in an effort to protect the rights of citizens.
“The federal government is too willing to play politics with the immigrant population to do anything productive,” said Tyler Norris, a member of Young Conservatives of Texas and government junior. “People on both sides of the border are suffering while the federal government tries to be politically correct. This bill is a step towards protecting those citizens.”
The Arizona legislation gained local significance this week when two Texas House members announced their intentions to introduce similar legislation when the House convenes for session in January. State Reps. Debbie Riddle, R-Houston, and Leo Berman, R-Tyler, have publicly stated that they support the Arizona legislation and believe it gives law enforcement agencies necessary power to respond to illegal immigration.
However, on Thursday, Gov. Rick Perry’s office issued a statement that said that although he intends to work with the Legislature to explore more comprehensive ways to secure the Texas-Mexico border, he does not believe the direction Arizona has chosen is appropriate for Texas.
“I fully recognize and support a state’s right and obligation to protect its citizens, but I have concerns with portions of the law passed in Arizona and believe it would not be the right direction for Texas,” Perry said in the press release. “For example, some aspects of the law turn law enforcement officers into immigration officials by requiring them to determine immigration status during any lawful contact with a suspected alien, taking them away from their existing law enforcement duties.”
Students and activists who rallied Thursday said the Arizona law is a step in the wrong direction for much-needed immigration policy reform. The Austin Immigrants Rights Coalition is holding a citywide rally at 4 p.m. Saturday at the state Capitol in support of an immigration policy overhaul that will increase access to citizenship and human rights for immigrants.
“The call for immigration comprehensive reform is not new; it has been ongoing for a very long time. The closest we got was during the start of the Bush administration, but the course of the presidency took a different turn,” MEChA member Diana Gómez said. “It’s hard to get big projects done in the Legislature, but with the passing of this Arizona bill, this has to happen now. The march is more important now than ever.”