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The Miami-Dade Green Party adds its voice to the growing coalition of groups and individuals standing in opposition to anti-immigrant bills that have been recently introduced in the Florida legislature. These bills–modeled after Arizona’s racist SB 1070 law—allow for racial profiling and if passed, will result in the separation of families while threatening to turn Florida into a pariah state.
We enthusiastically endorse the March 17, 2011 Rally in Tallahassee organized by the “We Are Florida!” coalition of community groups to oppose these bills including SB 2040 which is currently before the Florida Senate coming out of the Judiciary Committee. According to the coalition, “This bill forces local police to question the immigration status of any person arrested, even for minor offenses, and turn them over to U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) without ever being convicted of any crime.”
“By deputizing police officers to carry out the functions of ICE, this measure would only serve to undermine public safety by dividing our diverse community and creating an atmosphere of fear. This measure will lead to racial and ethnic profiling on a scale that our state, whose economy depends upon tourism, cannot afford. Racial profiling undermines public safety, instills fear in our communities, scares away tourists, and is simply unjust,” said Muhammed Malik, Co-Chair of the Miami-Dade Green Party.
In fact, it is seldom noted by the corporate media in framing this debate that undocumented immigrants actually add more to the economy through tax revenue and their productive labor. The vast majority come to the U.S. to improve their lives and those of their children after finding their home country economies devastated by anti-worker agreements like NAFTA and other “free trade” pacts which promote a race to the bottom that hurts working people in all countries.
“These racist bills only serve to divide working people when we need unity more than ever given the wave of anti-worker attacks taking place in Wisconsin, Florida and all over the country,” said Paul Lefrak, Co-Chair of the Miami-Dade Green Party. “But just like the working class in Wisconsin and Ohio are beginning to fight back, we need to bring that fight to the Sunshine State and extend it to defend immigrant workers as well.”
Governor Scott and the Florida legislature devise means to slash much-needed social services and attempt to divide and conquer by blaming immigrant workers, while billionaire bankers receive bailouts and tax breaks. The Miami-Dade Green Party stands by the old motto that “an attack on one is an attack on all!” We cannot and will not let racial profiling and scape-goating tactics prevail.
Filed under: 3rd party, Action Alert!, activism, Green Party, immigration, international politics, News, social & economic justice Tagged: | Arizona, Florida, Miami-Dade County Florida, racial profiling, united states, wisconsin
Stop the MEXICAN invasion then we would have no need for these laws. Look at our border and the death on the other side. Do you want that hear? Wake up.
LOL! I am glad that anyone still wants to come to our country, despite the flailing economy, the foreclosure crisis, etc. If some Americans do not want to be invaded by other countries, then those Americans should use their political clout to try to stop the US and US corporations from exploiting and destroying other countries, causing people t0 feel the need to flee here. I think immigrants are a plus to our culture. They add diversity and culture, and some immigrants do work that Americans don’t want to do anymore.
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