A coalition of student activists gathered in Ackerman turnaround on Saturday to protest the latest immigration law enacted in Arizona.
Senate Bill 1070, signed by Gov. Jan Brewer on Friday, aims to crack down on illegal immigration along the Mexican border. The new law makes it a misdemeanor not to carry proof of legal residency and allows police to detain people they suspect of immigrating illegally.
Diego Sepulveda, a third-year political science student, said that the new law will create a stigma associated with being undocumented and will damage the community.
In addition to denouncing the law, the protest sought national action for immigration reform. The rally was sponsored by various campus groups, including Alliance of Dreams, IDEAS at UCLA and Bruin Democrats, according to a statement.
The rally of about 20 people began in the Ackerman turnaround as protesters handed fliers to passersby while chanting, “No justice, no peace. Arizona must be free.”
The group then traveled to Santa Monica and continued the protest in front of Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s L.A. office.
“We want Sen. Feinstein to take action against SB 1070 in the Senate,” said Flavia de la Fuente, a fourth-year political science student.
“We don’t want Arizona to be the standard,” de la Fuente added.
While marching through crosswalks, students held up neon signs that read, “Free AZ: Dream Act Now” and “My life is not a crime,” which drew honks of support from passing cars.
The group was met in front of the office by fellow protesters, including Rafael Garcia-Rangel, 34, who is running for State Assembly in California’s 47th District.
“Gov. Brewer should have done the right thing, to veto the bill,” Garcia-Rangel said.
He also expressed concern over the costs of the bill.
Republicans promote fiscal responsibility, yet the bill will cost millions of dollars to implement and enforce, Garcia-Rangel said.
Sen. Feinstein was not available for comment, nor were any of her aides.
The rally drew a largely positive reaction from onlookers, with no visible dissension or police presence in the area.
SB 1070 does nothing to fix immigration and only makes people leave the country through attrition, de la Fuente said.
Sepulveda said it was the students’ duty to represent the needs of the community.
“As students and privileged individuals, we will not allow (Gov. Brewer) to target communities like this and oppress them any longer.”