In case you’ve been too busy studying to have heard, a new immigration policy in Arizona will allow law enforcement officials to ask anyone they believe could be an illegal immigrant to prove their legal status. In response to the law’s potential to open the doors of racial profiling and discrimination, a Milwaukee alderman called on residents to protest the policy by boycotting the state.
As part of a three-pronged approach, advocates for immigrant rights have been promoting general boycotts of Arizona, urging consumers to avoid everything from Diamondbacks games to business conferences. Los Angeles has already declared a boycott, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger stated on late-night television that he would never pass such a bill in California (even though passing such a bill would not be politically feasible in California, the way it was in Arizona, thanks to the state’s general demographics. Regardless, it is still a nice gesture on Schwarzenegger’s part). With this new proposal, Milwaukee is jumping into the fray. The goal is to force Arizona to repeal the bill (or stop it from coming into effect since it will not have legal force until 90 days after the current session ends) by pressuring Arizona economically. People across the nation will show their displeasure with the bill by avoiding Arizona. Arizona will then realize the error of its ways, a healthy economy being foremost in Jan Brewer’s considerations, and repeal the bill.
The possible effectiveness of the boycott has been called into question; will a decrease in baseball ticket sales really change the Legislature’s mind? A quick look into history might help clear up this question. It was a while ago, when most readers of this paper were probably not even a thought, but way back in the 1960s there was this movement for civil rights. Boycotts were effectively used to integrate buses, caf?s and neighborhoods.
The movement was not simply confined to a single area, either. Students from Washington, D.C. rode Greyhound buses across the nation in an effort to promote desegregation. The movement would not have been as successful had it not been for the nation-wide support garnered by Civil Rights leaders. Likewise, the movement today against de jure discrimination in Arizona will benefit from nationwide support. Milwaukee seems irreconcilably far from Phoenix. But in the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. (and forgive me if this is clich?), “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Arizona is not quite so far from Wisconsin as it appears on a map. We all live in the same country, we all go to school and work and take a day off every now and then to just have some fun.
Yes, Arizona may be cursed with having to eat (subpar) California cheese, but that’s not totally unforgivable. If the Brewers can play in the same league as the Diamondbacks, then we as Wisconsinites can stand up for the civil rights of Arizona residents.
At the same time, it is undeniable that undocumented immigration is a real problem. This is an emotional issue, and it well should be, as it affects millions on a very personal basis. The United States is a country of immigrants, yet, starting with the quotas of the early 20th century, the United States has attempted to derail the immigration of millions through endless miles of bureaucracy.
Obviously, being an undocumented resident of the United States is a rather undesirable status. One cannot go to college, take out a mortgage or do countless other things citizens take for granted. They can’t even complain about. Undocumented immigrants are also often taken advantage of in the workplace, given the lowest jobs on the employment ladder and paid substandard wages. The true tragedy is that for many, this represents a higher quality of life than they have ever enjoyed before. The flow of illegal immigrants into the United States does need to be slowed. Simultaneously, however, the process of obtaining legal entry into the country needs to become easier and less covered with needless red tape. Building a fence will not really solve any problems, and neither will racial profiling, ignorance, fear or hate.
The recent immigration bill passed in Arizona was a desperate cry for attention. It was the temper tantrum a 3-year-old throws in a grocery store when he isn’t allowed to buy a candy bar. And like that temper tantrum, this bill has the chance to inflict some real damage. A nationwide response will send the message that any trampling of civil rights won’t be accepted by America’s mainstream. Wisconsin may be geographically far from Arizona, but we’re not so far apart by other measures. So as you’re trying not to forget the power rule for that calculus final, don’t forget about civil rights either. Remember that a word spoken in Wisconsin can be heard all the way in Arizona.
Elise Swanson ([email protected]) is a freshman with an undecided major.
