Arizona Governor Forms Tourism Task Force
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer on Thursday formed a task force of tourism officials and business leaders to help the state's struggling tourism industry in the face of what she called "mistruths" about the state's controversial new law targeting illegal immigration.
Brewer met privately with tourism industry leaders and later told reporters that she was forming a group of industry representatives and state officials to prepare a marketing strategy to deal with public criticism of the law.
The law, which is set to take effect late July, requires police to ask a person about his or her immigration status if there's "reasonable suspicion" that the person is in the country illegally. Being in the country illegally would be a state crime under the law.
Critics have said the law could lead to racial profiling, and some groups and city governments have called for boycotts of Arizona and its businesses. Arizona's tourism board estimates it is losing $90 million to boycotts already, reports CBS News correspondent Bill Whitaker.
Brewer said those charges that the law will produce racial profiling are unfounded, and she said the law specifically prohibits racial profiling.
She also said people mistakenly believe that just anybody walking on a street could be asked to produce identification.
"The bottom line is there are a lot of mistruths about the bill," she said. "You're not going to walk down the street and get questioned unless you've committed a crime."
Tourism industry representatives didn't request changes in the law, said Brewer and Debbie Johnson, head of a statewide hotel association and of a statewide tourism industry coalition.
"There was no discussion of it," Johnson said.
The state will provide startup funding of $250,000 for the marketing campaign, which will start by reviving a past effort to urge Arizonans to vacation in their own state, Johnson added.
Other details, including what messages to aim to non-Arizonans, haven't been decided, Johnson said.
Brewer said she was concerned about the boycott calls, saying lost trade would harm the state, its tourism industry and "a lot of innocent people."
"We want everyone to continue to come here," she said.
Johnson, president of the Arizona and Lodging Association and president of the Arizona Tourism Alliance, said boycotts intended to pressure the state's policymakers are misguided because they mainly hurt people working in the state's tourism-related businesses.
"The concern is about the 200,000 families that are trying to make a living," she said.
Brewer said the "truth-telling" task force would try to develop ways to "rebrand or reposition Arizona's brand."
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CBS/ AP Brewer met privately with tourism industry leaders and later told reporters that she was forming a group of industry representatives and state officials to prepare a marketing strategy to deal with public criticism of the law.
The law, which is set to take effect late July, requires police to ask a person about his or her immigration status if there's "reasonable suspicion" that the person is in the country illegally. Being in the country illegally would be a state crime under the law.
Critics have said the law could lead to racial profiling, and some groups and city governments have called for boycotts of Arizona and its businesses. Arizona's tourism board estimates it is losing $90 million to boycotts already, reports CBS News correspondent Bill Whitaker.
Brewer said those charges that the law will produce racial profiling are unfounded, and she said the law specifically prohibits racial profiling.
She also said people mistakenly believe that just anybody walking on a street could be asked to produce identification.
"The bottom line is there are a lot of mistruths about the bill," she said. "You're not going to walk down the street and get questioned unless you've committed a crime."
Tourism industry representatives didn't request changes in the law, said Brewer and Debbie Johnson, head of a statewide hotel association and of a statewide tourism industry coalition.
"There was no discussion of it," Johnson said.
The state will provide startup funding of $250,000 for the marketing campaign, which will start by reviving a past effort to urge Arizonans to vacation in their own state, Johnson added.
Other details, including what messages to aim to non-Arizonans, haven't been decided, Johnson said.
Brewer said she was concerned about the boycott calls, saying lost trade would harm the state, its tourism industry and "a lot of innocent people."
"We want everyone to continue to come here," she said.
Johnson, president of the Arizona and Lodging Association and president of the Arizona Tourism Alliance, said boycotts intended to pressure the state's policymakers are misguided because they mainly hurt people working in the state's tourism-related businesses.
"The concern is about the 200,000 families that are trying to make a living," she said.
Brewer said the "truth-telling" task force would try to develop ways to "rebrand or reposition Arizona's brand."
More Immigration Law Coverage
Uproar Continues over Arizona's Immigration Law
L.A. Boycotts Arizona over Immigration Law
Selig Ignores Calls to Move Ariz. All-Star Game
New Arizona Law Targets Ethnic Studies
Schwarzenegger: I'd be Deported under Arizona Law
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I am sure they all miss Joe Goebbels. He sure knew how the explain things to the ingnorant!
Boycott The Hate State!
it can't be found on many Phoenix Maps!
Another AZ boycott, ... again?
BUT, then, you know it is don't you?
(some corporate farmers included) are nightly harrassed by these illegal insurgents. This should be a Headline issue for BOTH parties.
I am not a republican, BUT on this issue. I'm for ARIZONA!
Get this! These illegals are preying upon each other.
I had hopes that I would see bigotry end in the U.S. in my lifetime.
**** by formrusmcsgt May 14, 2010 9:50 AM EDT
I call it the Male White Cracker Party.
You flood these comment sections with statements such as these and one has to question who is the true bigot here. I have respect for other peoples opinions and their right to express it. I don't know you but flooding comment boards the way you do tells me you have an agenda you are pushing. Thats fine because I have the right not to read them anymore when your name comes up. There is one thing I would really like to explain to you and I can only hope you would open your mind to my feelings and opinion.
My family has been American for 6 generations. This is the only country I have. Our bloodline is mixed from many different countries. I have no other country to call my "homeland". With all its faults and misdeeds through history I love my country dearly. My dad and family members have fought in almost every war called to by this country. My dad grew up picking cotton and working hard and taught us respect for hard work. When I see immigrants being sworn in I feel a great sense of pride and hope for them. I live in a racially diverse neighborhood and I like it here. My fear for this country is not at all the legal immigrant who has decided to pledge loyalty to a new country but of those who come here not because they want the country but because they want what this country has and what so many have given their lives and sweat and tears for. They want only to better their lives and the lives of their families back "home". I am afraid of losing my country. I am afraid of my country becoming what they have left behind so they can retire in their true homeland. I don't want Corporate America's hunger for slave cheap labor and our bought out government to destroy our standard of living. I want this country and all its citizens respected and their rights respected so my grandchildren and their children won't have to wonder where they belong. Am I a bigot ?? I'm not sure.
Here's two suggestions:
1. If Arizonians feel that strongly about illegal immigration, why not pay to build the "fence" righties are promoting. It will only cost them a few billion dollars and all their illegal immigration problems will be solved?!?!? Oh, I forgot - that's a federal responsiblity which whitey righties stymied when comprehensive immigration reform was proposed. (Border security was a component of that effort).
2.If Arizonians feel that strongly about illegal immigration, why not go after the tourism companies in AZ whose profits depend on low wage illegal immigrants?!?!?!? Oh wait a minute - can't have the government mucking around in the free market system. (Penalties for employers hiring illegal immigrants was a component of the proposed comprehensive immigration reform).
I firmly believe that people usually get what they deserve. Sort of a karma thingy. Well, Arizonians elected conservative lawmakers who have enacted knee-jerk legislation which has, rightly or wrongly, inflamed the country. As a brown skinned anglo living in Texas, I have seen how this works first hand. Not intended to create racial profiling my azz!!!!!
Anyone who supports detaining and investigating legal residents simply for being brown is an unadulterated bigot.
Agreed. Yet somehow the law's requirements of reasonable suspicion that the person being questioned is in the country illegally, becomes simply whether or not they're brown in your narrative? Of all of the potential future scenarios, for a law that hasn't been applied yet, you prefer to go there and thus discount the integrity and professionalism of every single law enforcement officer throughout the entire state of Arizona?
I understand what you are saying about quotas but I have read that we are at an all time high in allowing legal immigration. Its now at around a million a year. That did not include Visas issued. I'm not sure our resources can sustain much more growth over that amount. It would be a different story if our manufacturing had not been outsourced.
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One of the benefits of the Bracero program is that a harvester, for example, could come, pick, and go home at the end of the harvest knowing they could come back next year and do it again.
As it is now, they can't go back and return next year because the cost of an illegal return trip costs thousands.
Measures designed to lock people out, lock others in as well....
Issue visa's and they will go home every year. That is what most of them would prefer.
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Either a concept that completely escaped AZ's lawmakers or was totally disregarded.
Either way, the effects on AZ's economy will be the same.
This task force shows that AZ now knows it's in deep crap and is trying to mitigate the damage it brought on itself.
It won't work. Boycotting cities and corporations will not change their minds because of any pleading by AZ to do business there ANYWAY.