Groups seek to duplicate Arizona Law Eliminating Public Benefits for Brown Skin Immigrants
Arizona's Proposition 200 is
cloning itself across the country, inspiring an imitation in Arkansas
and a self-help group to guide similar anti- illegal immigration
efforts. Two of Arkansas' Republican lawmakers on Friday proposed
Protect Arkansas NOW, a Proposition 200 copycat that would require
proof of citizenship when registering to vote and when applying for
public benefits. The welcome reception of Proposition 200 in Arizona
has emboldened those lawmakers and grass-roots groups to raise money,
collect signatures and strategize to put similar measures before
legislators or to a public vote. They are buoyed by Proposition 200's
national media attention and believe its constitutionality will stand
up in court. In addition, Protect Arizona NOW's Kathy McKee has
launched Protect America NOW to help proponents of the measures
organize and build a membership base. "We've been contacted by
people in every state except for Hawaii . . . saying, 'How do we do
this,' " McKee said. "They wanted to see how the postelection challenge
went. When it went according to plan and didn't drag on forever . . .
they said, 'OK, let's get busy.' " The curse of California's failed
Proposition 187 has worn off and many see Proposition 200-type measures
as a tool in the arsenal to pressure the federal government to improve
border security and decrease illegal immigration. About three
dozen grass-roots groups in various levels of development are working
with the Federation for American Immigration Reform, a national
anti-immigration group that poured money into the Proposition 200
campaign. These groups are highly mobilized and spread FAIR's agenda
against amnesty, a guest-worker program and illegal immigration.
The interest reverberating across the country in Proposition 200
imitations suggests a mounting movement against anti-illegal
immigration and its burden on American taxpayers. [more]