FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, May 7, 2010
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AAJC Contact: Leonie Campbell-Williams (202) 492-4591
ALC
Contact: Sin Yen Ling (415)896-1701
APALC Contact: Julie Su
(213) 977-7500
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Asian American Civil Rights Groups Announce Intent to Join National Civil Rights Groups to Challenge Anti-Immigrant
Arizona Law
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SAN FRANCISCO - Leaders of the Asian
American Justice Center (AAJC), Asian Law Caucus (ALC) and Asian Pacific
American Legal Center (APALC) announced that their organizations will
jointly challenge SB 1070, a sweeping and profoundly anti-immigrant piece of
state legislation that was signed into law by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer on
April 23, 2010.
"By requiring Arizona law enforcement, with limited exceptions, to determine
the immigration status of anyone who law enforcement officers 'reasonably
suspect' is an undocumented immigrant and expanding their authority to make
warrantless arrests, this divisive and oppressive law will encourage overbroad and
indiscriminate targeting of entire immigrant communities," said Julie A. Su,
Litigation Director of APALC.
"We stand in solidarity with the Latino community, which has long felt the full
force of Arizona's anti-immigrant laws," Su, who will lead the litigation
effort for the Asian American community, added.
The Arizona law, which imposes a state and local immigration enforcement regime
that is preempted by and in conflict with federal law, is yet another
manifestation of Arizona's history of anti-immigrant sentiment and continues a
pattern of reckless immigration enforcement actions that ignores basic notions
of fairness and decency.
"Arizona's action is unconstitutional because it impermissibly expands
Arizona's authority to enforce federal civil and criminal immigration law,"
said AAJC senior staff attorney Ronald Lee. "Arizona's recent-and
telling-attempts to circumscribe the scope of SB 1070 through passage of HB
2162 will do nothing to save this fundamentally flawed legislation from being struck
down."
AAJC, ALC and APALC will be filing their legal challenge along with other civil
rights organizations including the Mexican American Legal Defense and
Educational Fund, American Civil Liberties Union, the National Immigration Law
Center, National Day Labor Organizing Network, and with leaders of the Arizona
Asian American community.
"Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are vulnerable to misguided immigration
enforcement efforts, especially those that implicitly condone racial profiling,
as our communities continue to face difficulties achieving acceptance in
mainstream American society," said Sin Yen Ling, senior staff attorney at ALC.
AAJC,
ALC and APALC, along with the Asian American Institute (AAI), are affiliate
organizations advancing their work to protect and expand the civil rights of
Asian Americans as members of the newly-formed, Asian American Center for
Advancing Justice.
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The
Asian American Justice Center (www.advancingequality.org),Asian
Law Caucus (www.asianlawcaucus.org), Asian Pacific
American Legal Center (www.apalc.org) and Asian American Institute
(www.aaichicago.org) are dedicated to defending and advancing
the civil and human rights of Asian Americans both nationally and in local
communities. Their strengthened affiliation as members of the newly-formed
Asian American Center for Advancing Justice will be formally announced on June
24, 2010 at the Advancing Justice Conference (advancingjustice.org) in
Washington, D.C
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