Pima Democrats Stand with Growing Resistance to SB 1070

The Pima County Democratic Party salutes the Tucson City Council for its courageous stand against SB 1070. The city’s decision to oppose SB 1070 was the first of its kind in Arizona, and will come with a minimal cost to taxpayers. In-house council and attorneys from the community working pro-bono will represent the city, leaving taxpayers with little to none of the burden.

The biggest border county in Arizona continues to rise in resistance to the “papers-please” bill that exposes Latinos to profiling if enforced as written and exposes cops to lawsuits if they refuse to profile.

“Barry Goldwater is turning over in his grave,” said Pima County Democratic Party Chair Jeff Rogers. “This bill is un-American, un-Patriotic and an attack on freedom. In America, we don’t criminalize a walk down the street sans papers and we don’t criminalize a genetic code.”

The City of Tucson joins Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik in opposition to SB 1070 because the bill turns Arizona into an un-patriotic pariah, tossing aside inalienable human rights to appease the Far-Right.

Dupnik has been a border cop in a border county for 52 years and his department has arrested more illegal immigrants than any other state agency in Arizona. And he knows this bill is unnecessary and suspects the motives behind it to be racism.

Meanwhile, the border remains open to human smugglers and narcotraffickers. The Arizona Cattleman’s Association decided not to take a stand on SB 1070 because they are focused on border security. This bill does not address border security. It simply plays on the fears created by the unsecure border.

“The cattlemen who ranch along the border know 1070 does nothing to address border security,” Rogers said. “If we want to profile someone, how about looking for the drug mule with a backpack full of drugs and an AR-15 in his hand. Nanas coming home from church should be free from harassment.”

The more Arizona voters learn about the law the less they like it. In April, a Rasmussen poll showed support for the bill at 70 percent. This week, a Rocky Mountain Poll showed only 52 percent favor it, suggesting support for the bill is falling fast. At this rate, support for the bill could soon be limited to the most hostile and extreme voices in the immigration debate.

###