The Mississippi State Senate is moving forward with plans to pass an anti-immigration measure to mirror Arizona’s controversial SB 1070 law.
Shortly before implementation, a federal judge placed an injunction against some of the more controversial aspects of 1070. However, that has not stopped a number of states from considering similar actions.
In Mississippi, State Sen. Joey Fillingane (R), chairman of the Judiciary committee, said in a release that he intends to hold hearings on his proposal.
As previously reported in La Plaza, Fillingane has announced plans to introduce an anti-immigration law in the upcoming legislative session. Over the summer, he and other elected officials including the Lt. Governor, attended an “immigration forum” hosted by the local Tea Party organization and the Mississippi Federation for Immigration Reform and Enforcement (MFIRE), a group that states its purpose is to “promote and preserve national sovereignty.”
During this forum, proponents of the Arizona law argued that it was needed in Mississippi in order to “keep immigrants, primarily Hispanics, from gaining the right to vote.”
Kim Wade, a local Tea Party activist and radio talk show host, said any legal status given to immigrants should be “conditional citizenship” that did not include the right to vote. A proposition decried by Nsombi Lambright , the Mississippi director of the ACLU.
“The ACLU believes that being a full citizen of the United States means having voting privileges and all of those rights and privileges that go along with being a citizen of this country,” Lambright said.
Fillingane has argued that his hearings will, “offer an opportunity for supporters and detractors of the Arizona-style immigration law … to offer the Judiciary A Committee their thoughts and opinions on whether we need such a bill in Mississippi.” He went on to state that he intends to offer a “fair and balanced approach” when addressing the issue.
MFIRE is rallying its membership to be present at the upcoming hearings to counter the “pro-illegal alien crowd.”
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