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April 22, 2010
Open and Public Letter Supporting a Veto of Arizona S.B. 1070
To All Americans of Good Will,
A broad coalition of Evangelical, Business and other Conservative Leaders, joined as Conservatives for CIR, feel compelled at this time to speak out on the issue of Arizona’s controversial Senate Bill 1070. We are motivated to speak out for compassion, and the rule of law. Certainly, if we are lead by the biblical and moral teachings on compassion, we must note that at this precarious time, a new chapter in our Nation’s Human and Civil Rights history is being written for posterity. Therefore, we must first mention that we pray for Arizona’s Governor Jan Brewer and her family. As she must now agonize over what most certainly will be a difficult and complex political decision over whether or not to sign this bill into law, we urge her to search her conscience, and look to the greater moral and ethical questions surrounding this issue. When and if the Governor ultimately makes her decision within the framework of that context, we feel that her decision should be to veto this bill. Vetoing SB 1070 is certainly what we would urge her to do, and this decision will become easier for her to justify to her constituents, and to herself, when viewed within a moral, legal, and compassionate context.
We are encouraged to note that the Arizona Republic Newspaper stated, “At day’s end… she’s not afraid to make an unpopular choice in an important matter. ‘She agonizes over these things,’ said Doug Cole, Brewer’s campaign spokesman. As of Monday, the Governor’s Office had received 1,356 calls, e-mails and faxes in favor of SB 1070 and 11,931 against the bill. “Somos Republicans,” and other grass-roots groups are working to register more Latino Republicans, telling her that if she supports the bill, they will request that she ‘leave the Republican Party.’”
Since some 90% of the public reaction seems to be in favor of a veto by the Governor, it would seem that our coalition is speaking for the vast majority of people even within the State of Arizona.
Arizona Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva today called on Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer to veto the unconstitutional anti-immigrant bill recently passed by the state legislature, emphasizing that failure to do so will result in severe economic penalties for the state. The bill, SB 1070, forces police to stop and question anyone suspected of being an illegal immigrant, including a demand for papers verifying U.S. citizenship. The language contradicts the long-held legal principle that only the federal government establishes immigration policy.
NAFSA, a professional organization that promotes the exchange of students and scholars to and from the United States, writes “The United States is a nation of immigrants. We come in all colors and ethnicities and speak many languages with many different accents. We also seek to attract talented people from around the world to attend our colleges and universities, to fuel innovation and to strengthen our economy. It simply does not make sense to create a situation in which our laws imply that it is okay to look unfavorably on a certain group of people who do not fit a certain mold of what some believe an ‘American’ is.”
Law Professor and Immigration Scholar Bill Hing of UC Davis Law School wrote, “The VETO of SB 1070 will send a historic signal to Congress, the Obama Administration and the country that the further criminalization of immigrant workers, families and communities will not solve the problem.”
A spokesman for our Conservatives for CIR group, the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, who heads the Hispanic NAE, stated “It is difficult to justify being a supporter of family values and support deportation. It is irreconcilable.” He insisted that CIR “transcends politics” and “extends from biblical and moral imperatives.”
Another prominent member of our group, Rev. Jim Tolle, pastor of The Church on the Way in California, addressed the issue of the rule of law. Though it is important to maintain the rule of law, he said, it is necessary to “forge a balance” between law and “the needs of our Hispanic brothers.” In support of this argument, Tolle posited that it is the “Christian position” to allow for redemption once an individual shows contrition for breaking the law. Stressing another “conservative theme,” Tolle argued that the brokenness of the immigration system affects families and makes it difficult for the children of immigrants to earn sustainable employment.
Conservatives for CIR, is strongly in favor of a Federal solution to our nation’s broken immigration system, and we urge our Nation’s leaders in the strongest possible terms to work toward and enact a just, fair, and comprehensive reform to our immigration laws. While we understand and acknowledge that there exists throughout our nation a sense of frustration over the heretofore inability of our leaders to come together and pass a national immigration reform, we remind the people of our country to urge their national representatives to act courageously and swiftly, and to pass a Comprehensive Immigration Reform solution this year.
Thoughtfully and Prayerfully Signed,
Conservatives for Comprehensive Immigration Reform
