Politics

Arizona activists and politicians hailed as a victory the state Senate's rejection of five additional anti-immigrant measures.

Phoenix Democrat Steve Gallardo said before a plenary session of the Senate that these bills do nothing but damage Arizona's economy without in any way fixing the immigration problem.

The lawmaker said that he doesn't want hospital staff and public school teachers turned into potential immigration agents.

Breaking with their party, several Republican senators voted with Democrats to defeat a series of five bills that, among other measures, would have made it a misdeameanor to drive without a license in Arizona.

One of these Republican senators was Steve Yarborough, who thought the state legislature should focus on solving the budget problem and boosting the economy.

Two of the bills that were voted down aimed at denying automatic citizenship to the U.S.-born children of undocumented immigrants.

Such a move, being contrary to the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, would have meant another legal battle pitting Arizona against the federal government, which is already suing the state over law SB1070, a measure criminalizing undocumented immigrants.

The state Senate also voted against bill SB1070 for its stipulation that a family may not live in state-subsidized housing unless all of its members can prove their legal immigration status - it also would bar undocumented students from attending state colleges and universities.

"This bipartisan victory testifies to the power of cooperation - we have to work with both parties to achieve a better Arizona for everyone," Petra Falcon, director of the Promise Arizona organization, said.

Early this week, owners and executives of large businesses in Arizona sent a letter to state lawmakers asking them to throw these bills out because of the continued damage they would do to the economy.

Arizona grabbed national attention last July when SB1070 was enacted, though a federal judge has blocked enforcement of its most controversial provisions pending a final ruling on the law's constitutionality.

Since then, more than a dozen states across the nation have followed Arizona's lead as they study how to toughen state laws against the undocumented community.

State Senate leader Russell Pearce, a Republican, expressed disappointment after Thursday's vote.

Pearce, sponsor of both SB1070 and SB1611, insisted Arizonans support anti-immigration measures by a margin of 3-1, though he did not cite any specific poll.

Despite these five bills' failure to win approval, more than a dozen others related to immigration remain to be debated during the present session of the Arizona legislature which ends next month.

One of them would create a civilian militia under the orders of the Arizona governor, while another deals with financing construction of a wall along the state's border with Mexico.

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