Four Oakland City Council members spoke out against Arizona's border security plan Thursday morning, saying they will present a resolution that condemns the plan and calls for a boycott of the state.
City Council President Jane Brunner said Arizona's SB 1070, which was signed into law by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer last week, will result in racial profiling of Latino immigrants. She compared it to the persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany.
The controversial law makes it a state crime to be in the country illegally and requires police officers to question, "when practicable," those they "reasonably suspect" are illegal immigrants.
Joining Brunner on the steps of City Hall, Councilwoman Jean Quan called the bill "a step in the wrong direction" and said Asian immigrants could also be targeted under the measure. Councilman Ignacio De La Fuente said he also thinks the bill will result in racial profiling and said it should be declared unconstitutional.
Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan called the bill "an unjust law" and said she wants "a community where everyone is welcome."
The Rev. Daniel Buford, of Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland, said the bill is "entrenched institutional racism" and criticized what he called "an Arizona state of mind."
Brunner and Quan introduced the resolution as an urgency measure at the City Council's Rules Committee meeting just after the news conference. Brunner said she hopes the full City Council will approve the resolution Tuesday night.
"We're proud to join San Francisco in calling for a boycott of Arizona and we call on other cities across the nation to join us," Brunner said.
