Official Statement on SB1070 in Arizona
Trail of Dreams
Posted on April 24, 2010 by felipe


Dear Supporters,


Yesterday, as we were less than 50 miles from our final destination we discovered the upsetting news that Governor Jan Brewer from Arizona signed SB1070 into law. Along our 1500 mile journey we have witnessed the devastating symptoms of the lack of courage from our leaders to address racist measures such as 287 (g), Secure Communities, and now SB1070. In every community that we have walked through we met children left orphaned due to their parents’ deportation and young people afraid of not being able to fulfill their potential. Even more alarming, communities live in terror and distrust the local law enforcement agency.






The United States was built on the principle that all men are created equal; however, our current immigration system pushes an entire population of more than eleven million human beings into a constant state of sheer paranoia. When local or state governments such as Arizona and so many counties across the country irresponsibly take matters into their own hands inalienable rights are denied. Like President Obama stated, “Indeed, our failure to act responsibly at the federal level will only open door to irresponsibility by others.”




Measures such as SB1070 open doors to racial profiling and it creates an ideal environment for racial tensions. We are extremely concerned that hate groups such as the Minutemen will gain legitimacy under this legislation. We stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Arizona.




As we approach the end of our walk, the Trail of DREAMs will not stop seeking justice for immigrants everywhere in the United States. Once our families looked into the US as a place where justice and liberty could be found. On April 23, 2010, Pres. Obama stated during a naturalization ceremony; “…somewhere in the world is a young boy or a young girl wondering if they can too share in America’s promise.” Is the promise real when a whole state in this beautiful nation becomes a hub for racial injustice? Show your commitment to holding Pres. Obama accountable by signing our petition to stop the deportation of young people and their families at http://trail2010.org/action/.




Sincerely,






Gaby Pacheco, Felipe Matos, Carlos Roa and Juan Rodriguez
link to http://www.trail2010.org/blog/2010/apr/24/official-statement-sb1070-arizona/