New immigration “Rapid Response” fund launched in wake of passage of Arizona SB 1070.

 
Donate to the Rapid Response Fund by clicking here. Please enter “Arizona” in the designation field, so we can be sure to allocate your donation to the Rapid Response Fund.

Public Interest Projects (PIP) is pleased to announce the creation of the Rapid Response Fund to address the anti-immigrant legislation recently enacted in Arizona and the harmful repercussions that will be felt by immigrants throughout the country. 

The Arizona law, SB 1070, has far-reaching implications for immigrants in that state, and legislators in other states are now considering similar legislation.  Specifically, SB 1070 authorizes these actions:

• Criminalizes all undocumented immigrants as “trespassers” in the state of Arizona. It subjects all undocumented workers and their families to arrest and conviction for misdemeanors, and in some cases, felony charges for the new crime of “trespassing”
• Gives local police unchecked authority for stopping anyone they “suspect” is undocumented thereby encouraging racial profiling.
• Gives local police the authority to enforce federal immigration law and arrest people who cannot produce identification proving their legal residency in the U.S.
• Gives police the power to investigate and entrap employers for hiring undocumented workers
• Makes seeking work by day laborers illegal and forces all individuals, regardless of immigration status or citizenship, to carry identification papers or be subjected to detention and even deportation.
• Provides public agencies and service providers the authority to demand identification documents from any person trying to access services.
• Empowers citizens to sue any state/local agency or official that they believe is not enforcing this state law.

Immediate action is crucial.  In just the few days since SB 1070 was signed into law, legislators in other states have expressed interest in advancing similar legislation.  For 2010, most of the potential states have ended their legislative sessions, although remaining interested states include: Tennessee, South Carolina and Louisiana.[i] Ohio already has a bill circulating for sponsors in the State Senate.  In 2011, states most likely to follow Arizona include: Georgia, Mississippi, Utah, Idaho and Arkansas[ii].

Support is needed for groups responding to the Arizona law and those that work with immigrants in potential copycat states, and for the national immigration reform campaign, which can now point to Arizona as the example of why this country needs immigration reform at the federal level.  Possible areas of support include:

• In Arizona:
  • Advocacy, outreach, community organizing and legal support for Arizona-based groups responding to the law
  • Human Rights training on documenting abuses in the implementation of the new law
  • Litigation efforts against SB 1070 by public interest law firms
  • Research on the cost of implementing the law as well as the economic cost of a potential call to boycott Arizona
  • Messaging/communications coordination that could be used nationally and in other states
  • Civic engagement efforts to encourage immigrant and Latino voter participation
     
• In other states considering similar legislation:
  • Support for advocacy and outreach efforts by local and state groups to educate the public on the harmful effects of copycat bills in their state
  • If applicable, support for similar litigation to stop or reverse repressive immigration laws
    
• For the national immigration reform campaign:
  • Provide additional support for messaging/ strategic communications
  • Enhance the campaign’s ability to leverage the Arizona example as an argument for the need for federal reform

The above are possible funding options – in the course of due diligence, additional needs may be identified.  The aim of the fund is to respond immediately to needs related to the Arizona legislation and the potential for similar legislation as they arise.  Donors to the fund will determine how best to fund the needs identified. This fund is not intended to be a long-term.  Funds to support it will be raised within a short window of time and distributed as quickly as possible.

The fund will be staffed by PIP’s Immigration Program staff, and will build on the track record, expertise and relationships of the Four Freedoms Fund (FFF) – a model funding intermediary.  Since 2003, FFF has helped to build a well-coordinated immigrant rights field in 33 states working with national entities to roll back harsh enforcement measures, promote immigrant civic engagement, advance humane and effective immigration reform, build alliances with non-immigrants, communicate effectively and build organizational capacity and sustainability.  The fund has dedicated funding and experienced staff in all of these areas. 

The Four Freedoms Fund is currently enlarging its number of grantee partners in Arizona, and closely monitoring the rapidly changing local dynamics, as well as coordination issues with national groups and the national immigration reform campaign. 

FFF is a collaborative fund housed at Public Interest Projects (PIP), a 501(c)(3) public charity that operates grantmaking, technical assistance and strategic planning programs for institutional and individual donors interested in social justice and human rights issues.  With an operating budget of $26.5 million, PIP manages six donor funds involving more than 100 funders from a range of philanthropic institutions.  PIP also provides fiscal and human resource management to a number of special projects and funder affinity groups, including the Funders’ Committee for Civic Participation (FCCP).

For additional information on the Rapid Response Fund, please feel free to contact Magui Rubalcava Shulman, Director of Immigration at 612.871.6688 or mrubalcava@publicinterestprojects.org. 

Donate to the Rapid Response Fund by clicking here. Please enter “Arizona” in the designation field, so we can be sure to allocate your donation to the Rapid Response Fund.