International Migrants Day is celebrated on 18th December, every year and this day is celebrated in order to reflect on the rights that are granted to the immigrants and the other minorities. Though the country grants various benefits to the immigrants, racial and ethnic minorities are still unable to obtain benefits and are leading their lives with difficulties.
Many American states are passing anti-immigrant laws and such laws harm the immigrants and the minorities. In 2010, Arizona passed SB 1070, which is an anti-immigrant law and many other American states followed Arizona and passed similar laws. States like Alabama, Utah, Georgia and South Carolina, have passed such anti-immigrant laws and all these laws focus on deporting the undocumented immigrants who do not have proper immigration papers.
Such laws affect the minorities and the immigrants. Jesus Cuauhtémoc Villa, a native of New Mexico attends college in Arizona. He does not have a passport and he does not have any other identity documents other than his birth certificate. He is always worried about racial profiling in Arizona and feels that he will be detained if he is encountered by the authorities. However, the US Justice Department has filed cases against Arizona’s anti-immigrant law, SB 1070.
Few issues expressed by the Human Rights Committee, were addressed by the U.S. in the year 2011 and it also described the cases that were filed against the anti-immigrant laws passed by few American states. However, the report did not contain sufficient information and did not address the concerns of the Human Rights Committee.
The U.N. Committee, in 2009, wrote to the Obama administration and requested the president to work against racial profiling. Similarly, U.N. independent experts issued statements against Arizona’s SB 1070, in 2010, stating that the legislation is against the minorities and immigrants.
ACLU will continue to work against Arizona’s SB 1070 and at the same time it wants the US government to put an end to the 287(g) program. ACLU also wants the government to get rid of the Secure Communities program and it wants the government to pass the End Racial Profiling Act (ERPA). ALCU opposes all the local and state anti-immigrant laws and it is looking forward to safeguard the immigrants and the minorities, in the United States.
It also says that the government of United States must implement such laws, as soon as possible and protect the immigrants and the minorities. 287(g) program will expire by the end of this year and so ALCU hopes that President Obama will put an end to such agreements and reject all the state and local anti-immigrant laws.