Congresswoman criticizes federal agencies’ cancellation of two conventions scheduled for Arizona
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is criticizing two federal agencies for cancelling conventions that had been scheduled to be held in Arizona. The agencies apparently took this action to protest the state’s new immigration law.
“It is very troubling when the federal government becomes involved in a boycott against our state,” said Giffords. “Although I personally disagree with the immigration law, it came about because of growing frustration over the federal government’s unwillingness to secure the border. The federal government’s participation in this boycott only adds to that frustration.”
Giffords also has written to 42 cities and organizations urging that they reverse plans to boycott Arizona to protest the immigration law. In her letters, the congresswoman wrote that the boycotts “will unfairly punish workers and businesses that already have been hard-hit by the recession.”
As of today, the congresswoman has received responses to her letters from the Major League Baseball Players Association and the cities of El Paso and Austin.
The U.S. Department of Education recently cancelled an October convention scheduled for a Tucson resort. The event was the project directors meeting for the North American Mobility Program. The Mexican government recently said that because of the Arizona immigration bill, it would not send any representatives to the meeting held in Arizona. Officials of the U.S. Department of Education subsequently moved the meeting to Minnesota.
The U.S. Border Patrol also cancelled a conference planned for last month at a Prescott resort. Forty rooms had been held for the conference, but a Border Patrol official asked that the event be moved to another state because of controversy over the immigration law.
The protests are over SB1070, which was signed into law in April by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer. Unless courts intervene, the law is scheduled to become effective in late July and gives police increased authority to question and detain suspected illegal immigrants.
Giffords letters have been sent to:
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity
American Anthropology Association
American Educational Research Association
American Immigration Lawyers Association
Asian-American Justice Center
Center for Community Change
City of Austin, Texas
City of Berkeley, Calif.
City of Bloomington, Ind.
City of Boston, Mass.
City of Boulder, Colo.
City of Burlington, Vt.
City of Columbus, Ohio
City of El Paso, Texas
City of Gallup, NM
City of Hartford, Conn.
City of Los Angeles, Calif.
City of Oakland, Calif.
City of Richmond, Calif.
City of Sacramento, Calif.
City of San Diego, Calif.
City of San Francisco, Calif.
City of San Pablo, Calif.
City of Santa Monica, Calif.
City of Seattle, Wash.
City of St. Paul, Minn.
City of West Hollywood, Calif.
Cook County, Ill.
L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center
Leadership Conference of Civil and Human Rights
League of United Latin American Citizens
Major League Baseball Players Association
NAACP
National Association of Black Accountants
National Center for Higher Education
National Minority Suppliers Development Council, Inc.
National Puerto Rican Coalition
National Urban League
Santa Monica College District Board of Trustees
Sebayit Tours & Newton-Thoth Inc.
Sociologists Without Borders
World Boxing Council
A copy of Giffords’ letter that was sent to those cities and organizations is below:
I understand that your organization is boycotting Arizona businesses because of the recent passage by the Arizona Legislature of a law that gives police increased authority to question and detain suspected illegal immigrants. I am writing to ask that you reconsider this decision.
I have concerns about this law and I respect your opinions, but I believe that boycotting Arizona businesses will not achieve your desired goal of sending an economic message to those responsible for the law. Boycotts instead will unfairly punish workers and businesses that already have been hard-hit by the recession.
The idea of boycotts began when a congressional colleague suggested that organizations planning conventions in Arizona relocate their events to other states as a sign of opposition to the law. That suggestion has since escalated with all types of Arizona businesses now unfairly targeted by local governments and national organizations.
From the outset, I have expressed concerns that a boycott would hurt Arizona’s families and businesses at a time when our state is taking the first steps toward economic recovery. I am opposed to the boycott because it will hurt many people of modest income in my state who work in the businesses and industries that have been targeted. The harm done to working people in Arizona will not result in a change in the Arizona law.
According to an economic analysis by the University of Arizona, the “Great Recession” hit Arizona especially hard. From the third quarter of 2007 through year-end 2009, Arizona lost 1 in every 9 jobs. Unemployment topped 9 percent, up from 3.5 percent only two years earlier.
The visitor industry in Arizona has been a long-term critical component of the state’s economy. Some sectors of the Arizona economy that would be most affected by boycotts were especially hard-hit by the recession. From 2009 to 2010, retail sales in Arizona declined by 10.6 percent and restaurant and bar sales were down by 5.3 percent. Most importantly, the leisure and hospitality sector, which had employed more than 255,000 Arizonans, lost 5.2 percent of its workers. This represents the loss of more than 13,000 jobs.
Because of the recession, the visitor industry in Arizona experienced a loss of $2 billion in annual direct spending; lost 30,000 direct and indirect jobs supported by the industry and lost $167 million in annual direct state and local tax revenue.
Just within the past few months, the Arizona visitor industry has seen some signs of recovery. Those small gains have been wiped out by calls for boycotts over the state’s controversial new immigration law.
My concern that boycotts will punish the wrong people is supported by the U.S. Travel Association, which called for an end to the Arizona boycotts and urged federal policymakers to address immigration on a national level. Roger Dow, president and CEO of USTA, said the issue “should be resolved on the merits of various proposals, not by holding an industry and its 300,000 employees hostage to politics.”
The Arizona Hotel & Lodging Association has put a human face on the impact the boycotts will have in Arizona. The association noted that a boycott will mostly harm the 200,000 workers in Arizona’s tourism industry who rely on visitors to feed their families. A spokeswoman for the association said “It’s really hurting the hourly associates who work at these hotels and rely on visitors in order for them to have jobs. We are the largest employer in the state, and we are also probably the largest employer of minority workers in the state.”
Arizona’s immigration law is scheduled to become effective July 29 and there are numerous legal challenges underway that may well delay or prevent this from happening.
As I said shortly after the bill was signed into law, Arizona is now known around the world for enacting an extreme immigration law in response to the federal government’s failure to act. I am concerned that the law could jeopardize the rights of American citizens, will impose costly mandates on local law enforcement agencies and, in the end, do nothing to secure our border.
My fervent hope is that Arizona’s immigration law will be a wake-up call to Congress and the Administration who for too long have not taken seriously their responsibility to address the crisis on our border.
I believe that your decision to enact a boycott is counterproductive and will seriously harm many people who share your views and mine about this law. I urge you to end your boycott and instead let our legal system have the time to review and take appropriate action on this law. That is the fairest and most effective way to address our shared concerns. I am also calling on you to help deescalate a situation that threatens the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of citizens, not the politicians who you intend to target.
Thank you for your consideration of my request to end your boycott of Arizona businesses and the people who work in them.
Gabrielle Giffords
Member of Congress