Russell Pearce's Bill Initiatives

Abstract: On the aftermath of the passage of the bill SB1070, Arizona’s conservative lawmalers plan to introduce new legislation to target children born in the USA of undocumented parents and deny public education to undocumented children, excluding on the discussion the contributions of immigrant families to the economy of the State. This research project bring true facts to light.

On the back of Arizona’s controversial legislation, SB 1070, which would make the failure to carry immigration documents a crime and give the police broad power to detain anyone suspected of being in the country illegal without clearly prohibiting racial profiling, Russell Pearce along with Representatives Seel, Antenori, Gowan, Stevens, Ash, Burges, Crump, Goodale, Hendrix, Kavanagh, Montenegro, Weiers J, Weiers JP, and Senators Allen S, Gould, Gray L, Harper, Melvin and Verschoor have introduced House Bill 2382 and Senate Bill 1097aimed at denying public education to undocumented school age children.

HB 2382 and SB 1097 (2010) mandate that all school districts gather information on the citizenship status of students, aiming to eliminate public education to students who cannot prove legal status. The information collected will then be given to the Arizona Department of Education. Any school district that fails to comply may have their state funding withheld. In addition, Republican Senator Russell Pearce also plans to introduce legislation that would refuse to accept or issue a birth certificate that recognizes citizenship to those born to undocumented immigrants unless one parent is a citizen or legal resident.

Upon Arizona’s Governor Janet Brewer signing of SB 1070 on April 23, the state of Arizona and the country has been divided in its support for and against the legislation. In addition, according to a public opinion poll conducted by the Behavior Research Center (BRC) in Phoenix shows that support for SB 1070 stands at 52 percent in favor to 39 percent opposed and 9 percent unsure. Among registered voters, 56 percent favor while 34 percent oppose the immigration law recently passed by the Republican majority in the legislature and signed into law by Governor Jan Brewer. In conclusion, the upcoming legislation promises to continue the devastation of the most vulnerable in our state and on any society, its children.

In light of the strong congressional support for SB 1070, the possibility of further exploitation of approval for legislations such as HB 2382 and SB 1097  is alarming. If Russell Pearce is allowed to continue his attacks on the children in our communities, Arizona stands to lose one it’s most valuable resources by denying undocumented children public education  a right guaranteed to them by the Supreme Court in Plyler vs Doe and citizenship, a right guaranteed by the Constitution's  14th Amendment.

Resources

Arizona’s HB 2382

www.azleg.gov/legtext/49leg/2r/bills/hb2382p.pdf

Arizona’s SB 1097 (2010)

www.azleg.gov/legtext/49leg/1r/bills/sb1097p.pdf

Russell Pearce’s e-mails

Anchor Babies' Could Be Ariz.'s Next Target

Immigration Enforcement Debate May Not Stop With SB 1070

www.kpho.com/news/23623047/detail.html

A Project of  CADENA -DREAM Act Advocacy group

Research by Karen Coad, MASJHR candidate.

For more information contact Carmen Cornejo

(480) 324-6378

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