What is SB 1070 and what forces organized to get it passed in Arizona?
SB 1070 is an all-star anti-immigrant bill. It’s a combination of nativist legislation that state senator Russell Pearce and some of his allies like state senator John Kavanagh have been trying to pass for at least three years now. Approximately 12 percent of Arizona’s workers are undocumented according to official statistics. A large percentage of our economy, which is based in construction, tourism, and agriculture, is heavily dependent on undocumented labor. This sits well with the business wing of the Republican Party that is happy to exploit the workers. But it does not sit well with other sections of the party — the small business owners who don’t rely on undocumented labor; many of the elderly, white conservatives who live in retirement communities; and a section of the white working class. So there has been a rift among conservatives over the question of undocumented labor that has been heating up since 2005. Up until recently we had a Democrat, Janet Napolitano, as governor.
