Immigrant Shares Mixed Feelings On SCOTUS Arizona Ruling

Activist Dulce Matuz. (Courtesy Just a Random Hero)

Though some are calling the Supreme Court’s decision striking down three parts of Arizona’s immigration law a victory for President Obama, 27-year old Dulce Matuz, president of the Arizona Dream Act Coalition is not happy about the fact that the law upheld the controversial “show me your papers” provision, that lets the police question a person’s immigration status of Arizona’s immigration law.

“It’s a mixed feeling because some people [will] say that this is a significant win for the Obama administration because most of the sections were pre-empted. But we know that section two, which is going to continue with racial profiling here in Arizona, was upheld,” she said.

“We’re going to continue manifesting our dissatisfaction with SB 1070 laws by registering people to vote and by supporting candidates that are pro immigrant rights,” she said.

Matuz was featured in Time Magazine cover story about undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. She came to the country before she was 16 and so she will fall under President Obama’s plan to stop deportation of younger immigrants and offer them 2-year work visas.

Guest:

Dulce Matuz, president of the Arizona Dream Act Coalition

We welcome comments from all of our listeners. Post below. Please stay on topic and be civil. Comments may be moderated by us, but you are solely responsible for the content of your comments.

Kd

So, if you don’t look white you may be stopped. Imagine a legal minor who of Latina heritage. How does she “prove” she is legal? I can see our kids having a day or more interrupted when they are hauled into police stations to somehow prove they are legal.

If you have never traveled outside the country with your children, perhaps they do not have a passport or other documentation to prove they are legal.
- http://chacal-la-chaise.tumblr.com/ chacal la chaise
  
  This already happens here in El Paso by Border Patrol, and has been happening for many, many years, particularly on school campuses near the border. If we are harassed in El Paso, how do you think this plays in other areas of the country?
  
  Kd, everyone who crosses borders and leaves the country, including children, must now have passports. We need them now to cross into Mexico so that we may re-enter the US. And, no harm meant to Crap3, but studies show that undocumented workers and those living in the states DO NOT use services that they themselves pay for when taxes are taken from their wages. Border cities are the most safe because such people keep quiet and obey laws. Can the same be said for those living in your towns with an abundance of “legal” and US born here-for-generations residents?
Crap3

If i am pulled over i am asked for my state issued id. This is proof of citizenship. If i do not have id i had better have some kind of document stating that i am here legally. This isnt racial profiling or discrimination it is a standard practice performed in every country on the globe.
As a citizen of the united states i understand that at any time a law enforcement official may ask for my id for any reason that he deems necessary to protect the public. This is what my taxes are paying for and is what i expect.
There are too many illegals living in this country taking tax payers resources without paying their fair share.
Guest

Al my children have passports, as do I. This is necessary today if you want to fly anywhere. I sent for them because I knew the price would go up and it was a good way to train them about International Papers, which are standard in every country, elsewhere.

To those who keep mentioning profiling…how about San Francisco, where the Irish and the Chinese are two of the biggest illegal groups. Then you have the Russians, and it goes on. So, I don’t see profiling as an issue but I do see legal status as an issue. Maybe, this is a start.
Dannsmith123

It never ceases to amazing me how people like this woman see no problem with breaking the law… she notes that the illegals are just people trying to make a living… like the robber who is just trying to make a living. She can not see the problem never mind that it is against the law. Do we really want to build a country with people with morals like this?
We have immigration laws why is she above our laws? Even more disturbing is she feels she has a right to demand more special allowances even after already breaking the law. She thinks she is above it all.�
Our president also seems to have no sense of justice or honor for the rule of law. This is a sad time for America, soon no one will feel they have to follow the laws.
- Palomino
  
  You’re comparing these immigrants to people who many times carry guns, terrorize people by mugging them, and bank robbers. Wow! Great analogy. I guess if you put a ski mask on her, a gun in her hand instead of a megaphone, and some tattoos on her neck, then she will fit your analogy. Does she have any heavy criminal record? If she does, then I will retract from my comment.
shagua563

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