LatinaLista — It wasn’t long after Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed SB 1070 that people began to wonder how many other politicians across the country would follow her lead and think the most foolproof way to win their respective elections, or re-elections, would be to voice support for Arizona’s immigration law.
We didn’t have to wait long.
As soon as SB 1070 became law, candidates in the Florida gubernatorial race started grabbing onto it — one candidate, Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum, even flip-flopped his position on it to show constituents he supported it and would support a similar one for Florida.
McCollum’s flip-flop comes days after a recent poll showed him losing ground to an unexpected and well-financed Republican rival, Rick Scott, who backs the Arizona law.
After spending at least $4.7 million on a statewide television blitz, the little-known former healthcare executive is capturing 24 percent of the Republican vote, according to a Mason-Dixon poll. McCollum, who has been in politics for two decades, received 38 percent in the survey.
There are gubernatorial candidates who don’t support the AZ bill, they are, as to be expected, the Democratic and Independent candidates.
Yet in Florida, the idea of riding the political coattails of SB 1070 is so popular that even the candidate for the U.S. Senate, Marco Rubio, a Cuban-American, has voiced his support of the bill since the Arizona legislature amended the original.
It’s one thing for Arizona to pass such a bill targeting basically Mexican immigrants since Mexican Americans comprise the majority of the state’s Latino population, but in Florida where there is truly a diversity of Latino cultures, the risk of targeting one Latino subgroup over others is a recipe for disaster.
For starters, it could foster resentment and possible violence as one group sees themselves as the scapegoats of an immigration policy that has different standards among the different Latino subgroups.
Florida has always been home to Cubans, Puerto Ricans, Central and South Americans, people from the Caribbean and Mexicans. They learned to co-exist, their children intermarried, cultures intertwined and when it comes to the term “melting pot,” Florida has always epitomized the term.
So, it makes little sense for any Florida politician to endorse a bill that would create havoc on a delicate balance of life that has always existed — and actually exists in all states among those communities who are tolerant, accepting and understanding of the fact that there’s a reason why immigration policy must be left to the federal government to create and enforce.
Comment(4)
Texan123
American citizen voters want the Federal Laws enforced. The laws do not single out Latinos. The law does not exempt Latinos either.
We would not have 12-20 million illegal immigrants in this country if the Federal Government would enforce the law it has the duty and responsibilty to enforce.
American citizens are killed every day by illegal immigrants. Those unfortuante enough to live near the Border fear for the safety of their families. They can not feel secure in their homes or on their own land.
Is this ok with the Latino population? Is it ok to terrorize Americans as long as illegal migrants, drugs, and guns can flow freely across the border? Why do you attempt to demonize Americans for wanting to protect what they have worked and died for?
This country is tired of politicians who refuse to listen to voters. We do not want leaders who cater to the whims of foreign born illegal migrants over the wishes of legal citizens. We are tired of being called racist for being fed up with inaction to protect citizens and taxpayers from the costs and burdens of educating and feeding Mexico’s children.
It is time for change. The only reform we need is strict enforcement. It does not matter if you come from Mexico, Iran, Russia, Canada, Africa, Asia, Cuba, or Mars. If you want to live here, you must follow the same rules as any other country or people.
Britany
Cubans and Puerto Ricans are not illegal aliens, and except for language, they have absolutely nothing in common with Mexican, Central and South Americans. Cubans especially have a great respect for the country that gave them sanctuary from Castro, and have no reason to support illegal aliens. They respect our laws and right to sovereign governance of the American people, unlike your friends who scorn them. And even in Arizona, there are many, many Hispanics who support the new immigration law, unlike you outsiders, who care little for the havoc caused by illegal immigration, only having an interest in the welfare for foreigners who transgress our laws.
Evelyn
Britany :
quote,
unlike you outsiders, who care little for the havoc caused by illegal immigration, only having an interest in the welfare for foreigners who transgress our laws.
Speaking of transgression of laws.
The Meat of The Matter
Industrial livestock firms such as Smithfield and Tyson are among the big winners from the range of U.S. policies, which serve them both inside the United States and across the border in Mexico. These multinational giants are so dependent on immigrant labor — documented and undocumented — that they shut many of their packing houses to avoid the embarrassment of empty factories when labor protests on May 1, 2006 declared a “Day without Immigrants.”
Sam Thompson
Both of you must obviously be white. My wife is half Mexican and my son is a fourth Mexican.(I figured I would spell it out for you both because obviously you can’t see past the basics) This bill will give the police the right to harass my son because of the color of his skin. Now this bothers neither of you because you obviously have not been oppressed. Like myself I’m sure you both have come from families of privilege. Now imagine this: you work hard, you are American, and you are a good person. I say imagine because the last one I doubt both of you are. Now there is a group of people that are labeled as bad, and your skin is the same color as them. Does that make you bad? Think about it. Also being that my wife is Mayan and Aztec she has more of a right to live here then either of you, or did you skip history class?
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