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Immigrant advocate says initiative fostering racism in Arkansas Friday, May 23, 2008 By Jason Wiest Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - A proposed ballot initiative to limit illegal immigrants' access to public benefits is fostering racism in Arkansas, the co-founder of a group that opposes punitive measures against immigrants said Thursday. The measure, proposed by the group Secure Arkansas, likely won't make the November general election ballot, Jim Miranda of the Arkansas Friendship Coalition said, noting a 2007 University of Arkansas poll that showed few Arkansans thought immigration was the most important issue facing the state. But even if it does not, the overall debate about illegal immigration has fostered racism, especially in Northwest Arkansas, said Miranda, a Bella Visa resident. "Certainly there is an element of deep-seeded racism, but ... I think more than anything this is just a deep-seeded fear that exists in certain individuals that are resistant to change because they fear ... what the implications are for their particular community," he said in a speech at the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service. Miranda said he was not suggesting the people behind the initiative were racist or that they had ulterior motives, but he said others promoting and possibly gathering signatures for the initiative belong to separatist movements or have ties to racist groups. The entire immigration issue has given a "new sense of legitimacy" to the Ku Klux Klan, he added. Jeannie Burlsworth of Bryant, chairwoman of Secure Arkansas, said Wednesday she was confident the group would collect the 61,974 signatures of registered voters needed to qualify the measure of the general election ballot. The group plans to canvas Memorial Day weekend activities in Little Rock. On Thursday, Burlsworth dismissed Miranda's comments but said did not know everyone who was gathering signatures. Secure Arkansas' measure would require government agencies at the state, county and city levels to verify the lawful presence in the U.S. of any person 14 or older applying for public benefits. Some benefits would be exempted. Applicants would be required to swear under penalty of perjury that they are in the country legally. Gov. Mike Beebe announced his opposition to the measure this week, saying it is repetitious of federal law and that it would "create bigger government and cost Arkansans money." Miranda said he saw racism in the physical actions of law enforcement officers conducting raids of Hispanic-owned businesses in Northwest Arkansas, and in the case of a Mexican woman locked in a holding cell at the Washington County courthouse without food and water for four days after she was taken into custody for violating a condition of her bail. Adriana Flores-Torres was originally charged with selling pirated CDs, but those charges were dropped this week. "To me, playing a racist card is just ridiculous," Burlsworth said. "To me, that's what people do when they have nothing else to do. We're talking about illegal aliens, and they're breaking the law." Miranda said he did not think that the majority of Arkansans were racist, but that they wanted immigrants to come to the U.S. legally. "The problem with this is that there is no line to get in," Miranda said. "That's a misconception that exists on this whole issue." Comprehensive immigration reform is necessary but must be drafted with caution, Miranda said. "If they (rules of law) are not founded on deeper precepts, they become simply points of oppression," he said. |
