LULAC Finds New Arizona Immigration Law Unconstitutional

April 15, 2010

Contact: Lizette Jenness Olmos, (202) 833-6130 ext. 16

The law will lead to more racial profiling and discrimination.

Washington, DC – The League of United Latin American Citizens, the nation's oldest and largest Hispanic civil rights organization, will sue to block an Arizona immigration bill as unconstitutional should Gov. Jan Brewer sign it into law.

“We are horrified," said LULAC National President Rosa Rosales. "This law opens the doors to racial profiling. It requires police officers, if they form a 'reasonable suspicion' that someone is an illegal immigrant, to determine the person’s immigration status.”

LULAC is opposed to an existing program known as 287(g) allows local police to enforce federal immigration laws, contending that it has been ineffective and subject to abuse. LULAC has always opposed involving local police in immigration matters because they do not have the resources or training to enforce immigration law.

First Lady Michelle Obama in a trip to Mexico today stressed that immigration reform is necessary and that more Democrats and Republicans should support its enactment.

“We're seeing children who are trying to cross the border just to reconnect with their parents, and their family members and their lives are at risk,” said Rosales. “A strong immigration reform policy would help alleviate some of those challenges.”

Until Congress passes an immigration reform bill, states will continue to take matters into their own hands and communities and families will remain separated.

LULAC is the largest and older Hispanic Organization in the United States. LULAC advances the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, health and civil rights of Hispanic Americans through community-based programs operating at more than 700 LULAC councils nationwide. For more information on LULAC, visit www.lulac.org.