WASHINGTON, DC – The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund issued the following statement regarding SB 1070, recently approved by the Arizona state legislature:

The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund is strongly opposed to SB 1070, a terribly flawed piece of legislation with disastrous consequences for Arizona should it be signed into law.

“SB 1070 is an unconstitutional and costly measure which will jeopardize the public safety of all Arizonans, violate their civil rights and subject Arizona’s Latinos and newcomers to discrimination,” said executive director Arturo Vargas in a letter to
Governor Jan Brewer.

The bill contains several unconstitutional provisions that attempt to supersede federal immigration laws, which will likely result in expensive litigation for the state.

“At a time when many counties and cities are facing severe budget challenges, SB 1070 would require local government to spend scarce revenues needed for critical community services,” said Vargas.

“Visitors to your website as greeted with the theme ‘Building a Better Arizona.’ We urge you to uphold this vision by vetoing SB 1070, a costly, unconstitutional and discriminatory measure that will severely hurt all of the residents of your state.”