The Latino Action Network [LAN] today denounced statements made recently by the campaign of the Passaic County Republican Candidate for Sheriff Felix Garcia, which took a favorable position towards the Arizona-style racial profiling laws adopted over the summer.
Latino Action Network Denounces Comments by Garcia Campaign Favorable to Arizona-Style Profiling Laws
For Immediate Release: October 30, 2010
Christian Estevez, Executive Vice President – 973-418-7012
The Latino Action Network [LAN] today denounced statements made recently by the campaign of the Passaic County Republican Candidate for Sheriff Felix Garcia, which took a favorable position towards the Arizona-style racial profiling laws adopted over the summer.
Some of the most objectionable elements of that legislation have been placed on hold by a judge pending a federal lawsuit challenging them.
The LAN sought a clarification or retraction of the statement that appeared on a local blog recently, but the Garcia campaign declined. The statement made by Garcia Campaign Manager George Cole was as follows: “The Arizona reform comes from the people. Felix advocates people migrating to this country through a legal process. The Arizona people are enforcing the laws that were already present.”
Christian Estevez, Executive Vice President of the Latino Action Network, noted “the Garcia campaign has actively courted the Latino vote in Passaic County, while trying to also appeal to anti-immigrant elements in the electorate. The statements by Cole reflect a positive attitude towards a law that would racially profile individuals, specifically Latinos, and this is something we strongly oppose. The issue is of particular concern since Garcia is running for the top law enforcement position in Passaic County.”
Estevez concluded: “There is no place for racial or ethnic profiling in law enforcement and the statements by the Garcia campaign come close to endorsing those policies. Local law enforcement must work with local communities to maintain trust with them. The enforcement of immigration laws at a local level would break down those important lines of communication.”
The LAN sought a statement from the Democratic Campaign of Richard Berdnik and received the following from the campaign: “My parents were immigrants and law abiding citizens. My parents taught me first-hand the contributions that immigrants have made and continue to make to our country. While I am obligated to uphold the law, immigration is a federal issue.”
The LAN was founded in 2009 as a vehicle to mobilize the Latino community to seek greater social and economic justice.
