Albuquerque Speaks Out Against Anti-Immigrant Policy

This video was recorded by Youth Health Ambassador and SouthWest Organizing Project youth intern Samantha Montaño on May 17th, 2010. Councilors Rey Garduño and Ken Sanchez were sponsoring resolutions (R-88 & R-89) in response to Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry's new city policy that tasks local police with immigration enforcement. R-88 was proposing an official city boycott of Arizona, which recently passed SB 1070, the infamous anti-immigrant legislation. R-89 basically stated that the Mayor was overstepping his bounds and infringing on established city policy by trying to reverse Albuquerque's status as an immigrant-friendly city. The resolution was defeated by City Council vote, and the Albuquerque Police Department will continue to work with closely with ICE on immigration enforcement. Opponents of the policy believe that immigrant victims of crime will not come forward to police, due to fear of deportation, and that the policy will promote racial profiling- already a local problem. Other community members who spoke at the City Council meeting had questions about the effect of the policy on the local economy, the racial implications, as well as the historical context of policies targeting specific ethnic groups.