L.A. Leaders Oppose Arizona Immigration Law

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Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is speaking out against a harsh new immigration law in Arizona.

It requires all law enforcement officers to stop anyone suspected of being in the country illegally, he says. It allows law enforcement to make arrests without a warrant. I add my voice in strongly opposing this unpatriotic and un-American law.

The mayor says he is calling for a boycott that could take away more than seven million dollars from Arizona.

Other California leaders have made similar statements. State senate president pro tem Darrell Steinberg is also calling for the state to boycott. San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom is trying to cut all ties to Arizona.

They are hoping the boycott will be as successful as previous ones in the 1980s and 1990s. Back then, Arizonas refusal to recognize Martin Luther King Day cost it millions of dollars and the Superbowl. The state eventually gave in.

City councilman Jose Huizar says the new Arizona law had unintentionally united advocates for immigration reform.

We have to thank Arizona in some respect although we disagree with what he proposed, he says. Because if you see the people behind us here, they are more motivated than ever before to continue the work they have been doing for years to bring comprehensive education reform to a finality.

Both he and the mayor are urging the federal government to craft a new immigration policy.