Racial Profiling Takes Center Stage in Florida Immigration Fight

Source: Sunshine State News

On St. Patrick's Day, more than 300 people identifying themselves as immigrants made their first stand on the crowded steps of the Old Capitol.

"Somos Florida!" they shouted in Spanish to a cadre of reporters and onlookers. The English translation quickly followed: "We are Florida!"

The protest, organized by the Florida Immigrant Coalition, with heavy support from the AFL-CIO, was primarily designed to target Rep. William Snyder's bill on enforcement of immigration laws. What is largely being called an Arizona-style immigration policy, HB 7089, has pitted immigrants and those sympathetic to their situation against Snyder, R-Stuart.

"We're here to fight!" said Sen. Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa.

"If I can pick your oranges and strawberries, why is it I cannot be included in the population of this great state?" she questioned.



Read more: http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/story/racial-profiling-takes-center-stage-florida-immigration-fight

http://www.gp.org/press/pr-state.php?ID=403

The Miami-Dade Green Party adds its voice to the growing coalition of groups and individuals standing in opposition to anti-immigrant bills that have been recently introduced in the Florida legislature. These bills--modeled after Arizona's racist SB 1070 law--allow for racial profiling and if passed, will result in the separation of families while threatening to turn Florida into a pariah state.

We enthusiastically endorse the March 17, 2011 Rally in Tallahassee organized by the "We Are Florida!" coalition of community groups to oppose these bills including SB 2040 which is currently before the Florida Senate coming out of the Judiciary Committee. According to the coalition, "This bill forces local police to question the immigration status of any person arrested, even for minor offenses, and turn them over to U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) without ever being convicted of any crime."

"By deputizing police officers to carry out the functions of ICE, this measure would only serve to undermine public safety by dividing our diverse community and creating an atmosphere of fear. This measure will lead to racial and ethnic profiling on a scale that our state, whose economy depends upon tourism, cannot afford. Racial profiling undermines public safety, instills fear in our communities, scares away tourists, and is simply unjust," said Muhammed Malik, Co-Chair of the Miami-Dade Green Party.

"These racist bills only serve to divide working people when we need unity more than ever given the wave of anti-worker attacks taking place in Wisconsin, Florida and all over the country," said Paul Lefrak, Co-Chair of the Miami-Dade Green Party. "But just like the working class in Wisconsin and Ohio are beginning to fight back, we need to bring that fight to the Sunshine State and extend it to defend immigrant workers as well."

Penalizing schools/teachers according to test scores is another form of racial discrimination.