The YWCAs of the Northeast Region is announcing its strong opposition to the recent legislation passed by the State of Arizona. We join our many sister organizations across the country that find the enactment of this law reprehensible. It is clear that this law sanctions racial profiling and violates basic civil rights.
According to Joelle Logue, the President of the YWCAs of the Northeast, “As an organization committed to the elimination of racism, we cannot remain silent when people’s civil rights are clearly desecrated. Although the United States proclaims to respect the freedom of all people, a true look at the history of this country will paint a different picture. We must no longer put laws in place that target individuals based on race or ethnicity. Laws that are motivated by hatred and fear have no place in this country. “
As the nation undertakes the important work of addressing immigration reform, the country must approach the issue using real data capable of illuminating immigration’s impact on the national economy and on the lives of millions of people. Common sense, respect and the realization that immigration is deeply woven in our nation’s fabric are all critical to achieving a fair piece of legislation.
The YWCAs of the Northeast call upon the Obama Administration and specifically on Attorney General Eric Holder to pursue a challenge to the law and to immediately file an injunction against the State of Arizona to stop the law being enacted in August. Of particular concern to the YWCAs in the region is the law’s potential impact on women, as the YWCA is one of the country’s largest domestic violence service providers. Immigrant women are expected to become more unwilling to report incidents of abuse and seek medical attention due to fear they may be detained, deported or treated as a criminal suspect. Currently, victims of domestic violence are able to obtain temporary legal status through a U-visa, which is provided to non-citizen crime victims who are providing or are willing to provide assistance to law enforcement officials investigating relevant crimes. Without intervention from the United States Justice Department, the rights of these women—and the assistance they provide to law enforcement—will become unclear and unstable in Arizona, which is just one example of how women in particular are likely to be harmed by this new state law.
The YWCA is an international women’s organization that fights racism and works to empower women. The YWCAs of the Northeast Region encompasses 32 local YWCAs in the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York. Our mission is eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.