Speaker Christine C. Quinn and other City Councilmembers filed an opinion with the 9th U.S. District Court on Friday, October 1 that expressed their support for repealing Arizona’s SB 1070 anti-immigrants law.
“Arizona’s law strips the very core of what America stands for and it promotes intolerance,” said Quinn. “My colleagues and I fully lend our support to the federal government in their lawsuit against Arizona.”
The NYC Council filed an amicus curiae brief in support of the plaintiffs in the case “The United States of America v. The State of Arizona,” which challenges Arizona’s SB 1070. The bill mandates that all immigrants carry alien registration documents like a green card at all times.
The Council made three points in its amicus curiae brief, an opinion filed by an individual or group that is not a side to a case, but wishes to provide extra information to help the court reach a decision.
First the Council said the Arizona law takes over scarce local resources that should be utilized for public safety by local law enforcement and uses them to investigate individual’s immigration status. This law would require local officials to engage in racial profiling in violation of the constitution.
Second, implementing Arizona’s law will permanently damage the trust between the immigrants and the local law enforcement agencies nationwide.
Third, Arizona’s law conflicts with federal immigration policies meant to enhance public safety. An example would be the “U” visa that allows for a legal path to citizenship for immigrant crime victims who assist local law enforcement.
The New York City Council is one of over a dozen municipalities to file an amicus brief in the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Others include Baltimore, Minneapolis, Seattle and San Francisco.
“As elected officials in one of the most diverse cities in the world, it was only right to support the President by filing this amicus brief,” Quinn said. “We hope that kind of leadership will inspire others, including other municipalities with diverse cities, to follow suit.”
