President Obama takes Measures to Thwart Racial Profiling in Arizona and Protect Latinos Impacted!

President Obama has taken measures to PROTECT LATINOS from Arizona's Racial Profiling law sb1070. The Republican Supreme Court overturned most of sb1070 but allowed the most heinous portion of the bill to stand - the Racial Profiling portion.
The following two programs are the protection measures President Obama has put in place to minimize the impact of Racial Profiling attacks against Latinos in Arizona:


1. End 287g Program: The Obama administration said Monday it is suspending existing agreements with Arizona police over enforcement of federal immigration laws, and said it has issued a directive telling federal authorities to decline many of the calls reporting illegal immigrants that the Homeland Security Department may get from Arizona police. Administration officials, speaking on condition they not be named, told reporters they expect to see an increase in the number of calls they get from Arizona police — but that won’t change President Obama’s decision to limit whom the government actually tries to detain and deport.

2. Racial Profiling Hotline: The Justice Department has set up a hotline for the public to report potential civil rights concerns regarding the Arizona law that requires police to check the immigration status of those they stop for other reasons. The hotline phone number is 1-855-353-1010. The email is: SB1070(at)usdoj.gov.
Latinos, IF YOU ARE STOPPED BY POLICE IN ARIZONA, for any reason, and YOU BELIEVE YOU WERE RACIALLY PROFILED, be polite to police, but get their name and call this hotline and report them.

GREAT NEWS: Alabama's Racial Profiling Bill BLOCKED!!!

Washington (CNN) -- A federal judge temporarily blocked enforcement of a tough immigration law in Alabama on Monday. Opponents of the measure -- including state church leaders, the U.S. Justice Department and the American Civil Liberties Union-- had asked U.S. Judge Sharon Lovelace Blackburn to stop the law, which was scheduled to go into effect Thursday. State officials argue the law would help Alabama and not violate civil rights.

In her two-page order, Judge Blackburn said there was not enough time before Thursday to address all the legal arguments from various parties over the law's constitutionality. "It is hereby ordered that Act 2011-535 is temporarily enjoined, and may not be executed or enforced," wrote Blackburn.

The Alabama law requires that police "attempt to determine the immigration status of a person who they SUSPECT (Racial Profiling) is an unauthorized alien of this country," according to an Alabama House of Representatives fact sheet. That provision is similar to other laws aiming to crack down on illegal immigration passed by other state legislatures over the past year.

But the Alabama law also includes more expansive measures, including requiring the state to check immigration status of students in public schools. Blackburn made clear her order does not reflect on the merits of either side's legal arguments. She ordered both the state and the law's opponents to file further legal briefs in the case, and said her injunction will remain in place at least until September 29.

Further appeals to higher federal courts could prevent the law from going into effect for months, even years.
During a hearing last week in Birmingham, an attorney with the Southern Poverty Law Center argued the public-school portion of the law is unconstitutional.

Earlier this month, leaders from the Episcopal, Methodist and Catholic churches of Alabama sued the state's governor, its attorney general and a district attorney over the law, known as HB 56. One attorney representing the bishops said in court that representatives of the church did not want to become immigration agents, and that the law would make church officials targets for ministering to illegal immigrants. A U.S. Department of Justice attorney also argued the federal government, not individual states, should control immigration enforcement.

Breaking News: AZ sb1070 Racial Profiling Bill Author State Sen. Russell Pearce - RECALLED!!!!!

Breaking News! Shout it from the Rooftops! WE THE PEOPLE have Won! State Sen. Russell Pearce, the author of Arizona's Racial Profiling bill sb1070 Racial Profiling Bill has been RECALLED!!!!!

Mark down July 8th as a day history was made in Arizona. In a swift affirmation of Arizona's fast-growing and powerful new political movement, Secretary of State Ken Bennett notified Gov. Jan Brewer that the once seemingly invincible architect of the state's controversial SB 1070 "papers please" immigration law has officially been recalled. Bennett confirmed that the recall petitions delivered by the Citizens for a Better Arizona "exceeds the minimum signatures required by the Arizona Constitution."

"Let's make no mistake about it," said Randy Parraz, co-founder of the Citizens for a Better Arizona. "Russell Pearce has been recalled."

According to Bennett's statement, Pearce has two options: Resign from office within five business days, or become a candidate in the recall election. Either way, Pearce becomes the first state senate president in recent memory to be recalled in the nation.

"No one expected this or picked up on this political earthquake," said Parraz, one of the main organizers behind the extraordinary grassroots campaign, which electrified a bipartisan effort in Pearce's Mesa district. Parraz credited a "dramatic shift" over the past six months due to Pearce's often extremist leadership in state senate.

"We had people pouring into the office," Parraz said, citing the role of Republicans, Democrats and Independents in the door-to-door canvassing initiative, "and they told us: Russell Pearce is too extreme for our district and state."

Beyond his self-proclaimed key role in the state's notorious SB 1070 law, Pearce oversaw a near circus-level of extremist and reckless legislation in the Arizona senate this past spring, including draconian cuts in education and health care. Mired in various scandals, Pearce infamously accused President Obama of "waging jihad" on America. And last month Fox News Phoenix explored his widely denounced connections to neo-Nazi hate groups. In a recent interview with FOX News, Pearce dismissed the recall effort as the work of "far left anarchists."

In truth, the Secretary of State's office confirmed that an additional one third of the necessary signatures had been properly collected and verified. Within 15 days, Gov. Brewer must set the date for the recall election, which presumably will take place in November. And while no single candidate has emerged to claim the frontrunner's position, one thing is clear: The Citizens for a Better Arizona has galvanized a new era in Arizona politics.

Protesters rally against Georgia immigration law: Tens of Thousands March Against Racial Profiling Bill!

Salon.com reports: Capitol police and organizers estimate Atlanta crowd at between 8,000 and 14,000
Thousands of marchers marched on the Georgia Capitol on Saturday to protest the state's (Racial Profiling) new immigration law, which they say creates an unwelcome environment for people of color and those in search of a better life. Men, women and children of all ages converged on downtown Atlanta for the march and rally, cheering speakers while shading themselves with umbrellas and posters. Capitol police and organizers estimated the crowd at between 8,000 and 14,000. They filled the blocks around the Capitol, holding signs decrying House Bill 87 and reading "Immigration Reform Now!"

Friends Jessica Bamaca and Melany Cordero held a poster that read: "How would you feel if your family got broken apart?" Bamaca was born in the U.S., but her mother and sister are from Guatemala. She said she fears they will be deported. "I would be here by myself," said Bamaca, 13. "I have a feeling (the governor) doesn't know the pain affecting families. If he were to be in our position, how would he react?"

Adelina Nicholls, executive director of the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights, said the crowd was sending a message. "They are ready to fight," Nicholls said. "We need immigration reform, and no HB87 is going to stop us. We have earned the right to be here."

Azadeh Shahshahani of the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia called the rally inspiring and said she hoped lawmakers would recognize the law's potential to damage the state. "I think it's going to have an impact," she said. "Unfortunately, the damage has already been done as far as people of color having second thoughts about moving to Georgia."

Several different groups stood with the largely Latino crowd, including representatives from the civil rights movement. The Rev. Timothy McDonald, an activist who has been supportive of immigration protesters, was among the speakers showing his solidarity. "You are my brothers and my sisters," McDonald told the crowd. "Some years ago, they told people like me we couldn't vote. We did what you are doing today. We are going to send a message to the powers that be ... that when the people get united, there is no government that can stop them. Don't let them turn you around."

MiLi Lai, a student at Emory who is Chinese, also attended the rally because the immigration law doesn't just apply to Latinos, but "all non-American people." "We are the same community," Lai said. "We have to fight for our rights."

Bellanira Avoytes came to the rally with her husband and three children. Although she is a legal resident and her children were born in Georgia, she does not see herself as separate from undocumented Latinos. "I have family who are not residents," she said. "I am together with the Latin people. I love Georgia. I have stayed here for 18 years. I want to buy a house here."

Saturday's rally follows a "day without immigrants" organized Friday, when some parts of the law took effect. It was organized by the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights. The organization asked businesses to close and community members not to work or shop to protest the law.

On Monday, a judge temporarily blocked key parts of the law until a legal challenge is resolved. One provision that was blocked authorizes police to check the immigration status of suspects without proper identification. It also authorizes them to detain illegal immigrants. Another penalizes people who knowingly and willingly transport or harbor illegal immigrants while committing another crime.

Parts of similar measures in Arizona, Utah and Indiana also have been blocked by the courts.

Provisions that took effect Friday include one that makes it a felony to use false information or documentation when applying for a job. Another provision creates an immigration review board to investigate complaints about government officials not complying with state laws related to illegal immigration.

Judge blocks key parts of Georgia's Racial Profiling Bill!

Atlanta (CNN) -- A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction Monday temporarily blocking key provisions of a new Georgia law that aims to crack down on illegal immigration. Most parts of the law, known as HB 87, were scheduled to go into effect Friday.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Thrash Jr.'s ruling blocks enforcement of two of the most controversial sections of the law, while allowing other parts of it to move forward. "State and local law enforcement officers and officials have no authorization to arrest, detain or prosecute anyone based upon sections 7 and 8 of HB 87 while this injunction remains in effect," Thrash ruled.

Those sections allow police to inquire about immigration status when questioning suspects in certain criminal investigations. They also would allow the imposition of prison sentences for people who knowingly transport or harbor illegal immigrants during the commission of a crime.

"The apparent legislative intent is to create such a climate of hostility, fear, mistrust and insecurity that all illegal aliens will leave Georgia," Thrash wrote. In his 45-page ruling, Thrash cited a previous court decision that said preliminary injunctions were in the public interest "when civil rights are at stake."

Although his ruling was a victory for the plaintiffs, he also tossed out some of their arguments at the state's request, a point stressed by Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens soon after the decision. "I appreciate the speed with which Judge Thrash ruled, given the complexity of the issues. I am pleased with the dismissal of the 4th Amendment, 14th Amendment, 'Right to Travel,' and Georgia constitutional claims by the plaintiffs -- even after this ruling, 21 of the 23 sections of HB 87 will go into effect as planned," he wrote in a statement.

Olens said his office will appeal the judge's ruling regarding sections 7 and 8. The office of Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, which supports the law, also weighed in on the decision. "Beyond refusing to help with our state's illegal immigration problem, the federal government is determined to be an obstacle. The state of Georgia narrowly tailored its immigration law to conform with existing federal law and court rulings," said Brian Robinson, the governor's deputy chief of staff for communications. "Georgians can rest assured that this battle doesn't end here."

The Georgia lawsuit is the latest battle in a nationwide skirmish between state and federal officials over who controls immigration enforcement. Arizona's controversial law aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration catapulted the issue onto the national stage last year, drawing a lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Justice, which argues the law is unconstitutional.

In April, a three-judge panel on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the Justice Department and against Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, who signed Arizona's law last year. Brewer announced last month that the state would appeal directly to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Guest Voz - Toppermost, an AZ Resident: Conservatives Supporting HB1070 Know It Racial Profiling will occur but JUST DON'T CARE!

Guest Voz: Toppermost (Internet Commenter) Arizona Resident:

I live in Arizona. As you can imagine a liberal like me is something of a novelty here. In fact the only people more liberal than I am are the college students. After many a conversation with the conservatives here about this bill, their overwhelming response to the racial profiling issue is basically: “I don't care.” And its true, they do not. They are aware of what racial profiling is. They are aware of the pernicious effects that it might have on a society with more than one culture in it. But they LITERALLY do not care. And they no longer really even bother to hide it here in Arizona. They are more than willing to pull over America citizens who happen to be dark-skinned in their crusade to get rid of the Mexicans. They are FOR RACIAL PROFILING. It is getting scary here. And its going to continue spread to wherever the Cheney/Palin/Tea Party kind of republican exist.

ALERT: Gov. Brewer sets 3:30 p.m. CT news conference on immigration measure

BREAKING NEWS:
PHOENIX - Gov. Jan Brewer scheduled a 1:30 p.m. (3:30 CT, 4:30 ET) press conference at a state-owned auditorium about a mile from the Capitol. The location not only provide space for the local and national media interested in the issue but also provides some separation from the approximately 2,000 people who have gathered in the mall between the House and Senate.
Most of them appear to be high school or college students.
Hispanic community leader Elias Bermudez said he is urging calm no matter what the governor does.
There is a lot of political pressure on Brewer to sign the controversial measure which would give police new powers to stop and arrest illegal immigrants.
All three of her Republican foes in the gubernatorial primary are on record urging a signature. And virtually all Republicans in the Legislature voted for the legislation.
If she does, a lawsuit is a virtual certainty, with groups ranging from the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund to the American Civil Liberties Union promising to challenge the measure.
The most controversial part of the measure could amount to a requirement to carry identification or risk being detained, at least temporarily. It says that when police officers make an official contact with anyone, a "reasonable attempt shall be made, when practicable, to determine the immigration status of the person.''
Sen. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, said the language does not give officers absolute authority to stop anyone. He pointed to language saying that the must be "reasonable suspicion'' that the person is in this country illegally.
The law prohibits race or ethnicity from being the sole factor in reaching that conclusion. But it permits those being used as one factor.
Pearce, the architect of the measure, said that is justified because virtually all of the illegal immigrants in this state are from Mexico or points south.
The measure also makes it illegal for cities to have any policy that prohibits its police officers from enforcing federal immigration laws.
Other provisions include:
- Making it a state crime to be in this country in violation of federal immigration laws;
- Allowing people to be charged with harboring or transporting illegal immigrants;
- Letting police arrest those who stop in traffic to pick up day laborers.
There also have been calls for businesses to boycott the state if Brewer signs the legislation