This week, the state legislative leadership tried to pass HCR 2060, a ballot referral reminiscent of SB 1070 and Texas' SB 4. The bill, if approved by the legislature and then by voters in November, would give local law enforcement the power to arrest and jail undocumented immigrants, among other worrisome consequences. Because this is a ballot referral, Governor Hobbs will not be able to veto it. Read more about HCR 2060 here.
Both the State Senate and House were poised to vote on the bill this week, but the vote has been stalled. We expect that they will take it up again next week with minor amendments. Now is our chance to take action!
The Arizona Interfaith Network (a group made up of VIP and our sister organizations) has sent a letter of opposition to the legislature to let them know that targeting vulnerable families is not an acceptable form of immigration reform. It is not too late to sign on. If you are a religious leader, please sign onto the petition below.
If you want more resources or information to share with your congregation, please call our office directly: (602) 248-0607.
AIN Letter to Arizona Legislators
To: House Speaker Ben Toma
Senate President Warren Peterson
and members of the Arizona State Legislature:
We, the undersigned faith and community leaders with the Arizona Interfaith Network, urge our legislators to reject HCR 2060 in this late session maneuver.
For 20 years, Arizona has attempted repeatedly to usurp federal responsibility for immigration enforcement. None of the previous attempts, most notably SB 1070, have succeeded in fixing our nation’s broken immigration system. But these did inflict great harm to our state economy, our social fabric, and our reputation.
HCR 2060 is yet another version of “Show Me Your Papers” that will inevitably lead to racial profiling and violations of civil liberties, while targeting the most vulnerable. It will breed fear and contempt between Arizonans and do nothing to fix the border. In the past attempts, we saw firsthand the damage done to families, neighborhoods, congregations, schools, and other community institutions.
The practical effects of HCR 2060 would be to sanction racial discrimination, inflict great cruelty on immigrant families, most of whom are of mixed status, drive away needed workers, and undermine Arizona’s attractiveness for investors.
At its root, enactment of HCR 2060 would violate the basic moral injunction that is common to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: we must welcome the stranger as we would welcome God himself.
We sympathize with the frustration for the lack of a federal solution to the broken immigration system, which has been in need of comprehensive reform for over three decades. Our energies are better deployed to holding federal officials accountable for constructive reform.
Signed by 50 Arizona clergy and bishops.