Immigration Law Supporters Rally in Phoenix

Hundreds of people supporting Arizona's new law cracking down on illegal immigration rallied near the state Capitol on Saturday afternoon in soaring temperatures.

Hundreds of motorcycle riders kicked off the downtown Phoenix rally by riding in a procession around the Capitol. Supporters waved American flags and some carried signs that read "What part of illegal don't they understand?"

The rally's turnout fell far short of the march organized by opponents of the law last weekend, when an estimated 20,000 people gathered.

Demonstrators on Saturday sweated as temperatures reached 105 degrees. Some shaded themselves with umbrellas and clamored to buy cold water and ice cream from vendors.

"For them to come here when it's over 100 degrees and stand in the heat - it's awesome," said 32-year-old Stephanie Colbert of Glendale.

Colbert, who works in a restaurant, said those who disagree with the law and boycott Arizona are misguided because they hurt the immigrant community they aim to support.

"The hospitality industry has a very large population of immigrants, legal and illegal," she said. "It's those people's jobs that are in jeopardy."

Colbert and her mother, 53-year-old Pattie Sheahan of Phoenix, said they strongly support the new law, which requires police conducting traffic stops or questioning people about possible legal violations to ask about their immigration status if there is "reasonable suspicion" they're in the country illegally.

"Everybody needs to obey the same laws," Sheahan said. "If you want to come here, there's ways to do it. Do it the right way."

The law, which goes into effect July 29, will also make it a state crime to be in the country illegally or to impede traffic while hiring day laborers, regardless of the worker's immigration status. It would become a crime for illegal immigrants to solicit work.

Critics have said the law, known as S.B. 1070, will invite racial profiling, while supporters have said it will help fight illegal immigration.

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Bill Savage of Phoenix wore a T-shirt that read "Viva los 1070." He said he attended the rally to support Gov. Jan Brewer.

"We didn't do anything new. We didn't write a new law," the 41-year-old said. "We simply stated what is supposed to be the federal law, and said we're going to enforce it at the state level."

Brewer has ordered a state police training board to prepare training standards to prevent racial profiling in enforcing the law.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, perhaps best known for his efforts targeting illegal immigrants, drew loud chants of "Joe, Joe, Joe!" when he spoke to the audience at the rally.

One man yelled to him: "We've got your back, Joe!"

Arpaio praised lawmakers for passing the law and reiterated that he'll lock up as many illegal immigrants as his deputies can arrest.

"We'll put tents from here to Mexico," he told the crowd, referring to his famed Tent City, a section of the county jail where all inmates are housed in surplus military tents.

The Pennsylvania-based group Voice of the People USA organized the demonstration, which it touted as a grassroots effort. Attendees traveled from every region of the U.S., Voice of the People president Daniel Smeriglio said.

Former Republican Congressman Tom Tancredo of Colorado and GOP state Sen. Russell Pearce of Mesa, the author of the law, also spoke at the rally.

Illegal immigration is an expensive problem - and it's getting more and more attention, said Tom Dodson, 48, of Tempe.

"I do feel that the public is really starting to take notice of it," he said. "Now they're starting to realize that a lot of money's being spent on these issues."

Matthew Perdie of Port Jefferson Station, N.Y., said he's been walking across the country, from New York to California, to draw attention to "big government." He decided to attend the rally to show his support for the immigration law.

"We've got a lot of problems with violence near the border," the 24-year-old said. "It needs to be stopped."

[DBrown1447]

Take all the illegal Mexicans to Florida and make them swim back home, with a Muslim under each arm.

[TheYock]

Enter Mexico without papers, and see what happens . Mexico, and Central American countries will not worry about your rights for a moment . Just leave your papers in your hotel, and you will be arrested like a criminal, on the spot . The Native Americans had weak immigration laws, too ! The Yock

[JFK2112]

I have a lot of latino neighbors and friends here in Phoenix, and guess what...they can't stand the illegals here either. A lot to do about nothing...find them and deport them.

[IndepTex20]

by kaviz June 6, 2010 1:36 PM EDT
I say the people against this law should start reporting anyone with Republican signs and let them experience what its like to prove their citizenship.

OK by me.........I'll offer my drivers license as proof. Carry it all the time.............you see if you are a resident you receieve a renewable drivers license. If you are an illegal, you receive a temporary drivers license..............and surprise, it looks different than a resident drivers license!!

Illegal is illegal..............get over it!

Now it is time to go after the employers!!

[tsigili]

Time to stop illegal immigration, in its tracks.

[nottellin1]

by uubrew12 June 6, 2010 2:49 AM EDT
Personally, I think we need to discuss a process for nationalizing the illegals (at least those who've been here awhile). And we need to define a process for identifying and keeping illegals from coming here in the future. I grew up in the West, and I understand what is being lost as the countryside fills up with people.
_________________________________________________________________________

I'm curious just how your plan would gather all the uneducatd illegal alien invaders (IAI's) that don't have TV, speak English or read. Do you honestly believe, IAI's that are already throwing our laws back in our faces are suddenly going to listen to authority?

To those of you that ask, "who will make our hotel beds and sweep our floors", I say that if IAI's leave these jobs, positions will be filled by undereducated Americans and teens as they always were when the US government still cared about it's citizens and sovereignty.

The US is under attack and being invaded just as surely as Iraq invaded Kuait in 1991.

[erasmus111]

There are many Americans that are racists, and against the Mexican people, specifically. Sad. But the fact remains that they are here ILLEGALLY. And it doesn't matter whether they are Mexican, Canadian, German, or WHATEVER. If they entered ILLEGALLY then they need to be deported, and if they want to return, then they need to do it legally.

ILLEGAL is ILLEGAL!

[erasmus111]

And for all you dumb ass es saying that it's the "Democrats", surely there are many Democrats that also believe that it is wrong to enter a country illegally.

[kaviz]

I agree and as long as they don't racial profile then everyone in Arizona should be fair game under their state law, and if reported, should be check out under the new law. I hope they have the budget and manpower.

[kaviz]

It sounds like McCarthyism is alive and well in Arizona. Thanks GOP.

[eus109937]

Immigration is a federal issue not for Arizona to patrol. Hopefully the people of Arizona will be heavily taxed for the use of millions of hours of police and sheriff overtime, newly hired officers to patrol immigration, and the jails to keep them in. (It will take the feds years to deport any of them.) Again, hopefully the people of Arizona will pay for this deeply through their wallets.

[kaviz]

A good start to that idea, would be for everyone against the law to start reporting anyone suspicious or not ( a good start would have been the rally crowd ) to the police so they would have to follow up and check on them. Flooding of reports will soon tap most departments time and budgets to the point of no response.

[kaviz]

A good follow up to that idea would be to report anyone with a Republican political sign in their yard as suspicious. I'm sure their are more than just Mexicans here illegally. It would force them to avoid profiling.

[msimamaji]

Go to any Republican fundraiser in California or the Southwest. Guess who in the kitchen or bussing the dishes. None other than the undocumented immigrants the GOP so loves to hate.

Undocumented immigrants are a God-send to GOP fundraisers. They will work for pennies on the dollar and you can cheat them out of their wages and they have no legal recourse.
Ironically the people who claim that undocumented immigrants are an "expensive" problem are the same people who profit from the cheap labor that undocumented immigrants provide. Talk about hypocrisy.
The best way to solve the problem of undocumetned immigrants is the prevent the cause. American corporations opening factories in Mexico need to pay their Mexican work force American wages. We need to do something about global climate change, since changing rainfall patterns are wreaking havoc with Mexican agriculture. We need to stop subsidizing multi-million dollar agri-businesses. I'd also suggest that we impose stricter regulations on gun sales, especially on the sales conducted at gun shows. That's the source of most of the weapons that the Mexican drug cartel uses.