Arizona Unions Show Support For Immigration Reform.

Arizona’s labor unions are putting their weight behind comprehensive immigration reform, and they made their position loud and clear during a rally at the state Capitol on Monday.

About 200 union members, supporters, student activists and Democratic leaders gathered in support of a federal proposal that includes a path to citizenship. Union leaders said the labor movement and immigration rights go hand in hand.

“We’re both fighting for the American dream,” said Emmanuel Gallardo, a front-desk agent at the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown hotel and a local union member. “And I strongly believe that as a labor movement, if we come together to support comprehensive immigration reform, we can pass it.”

U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., spoke to the group, saying immigration reform needs to happen this year.
“Those of us from Arizona … understand it will be tough,” he said. “But we also understand how important it is.”
Phoenix was the last of 20 cities where labor unions held rallies. Participants urged Arizona lawmakers to oppose several bills that limit labor activities, and they called on federal lawmakers to deal with immigration.
The Arizona Legislature has been at the forefront of the immigration debate in the past, particularly with the 2010 passage of Senate Bill 1070.

But this year, local lawmakers have left the issue to national leaders.

The handful of state bills addressing immigration, including one that would have made it a crime for an illegal immigrant to use a public resource such as a school or sidewalk, have so far gone nowhere.

Meanwhile, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators, including Arizona Republicans John McCain and Jeff Flake, are working on a reform bill that includes a path to citizenship contingent on a secure border. They hope to introduce it late this month or in early April.

Their work has mobilized supporters and opponents, both of whom are planning to flood lawmakers with calls and e-mails and to stage demonstrations.

National leaders are pushing local members to flood their members of Congress with calls supporting reform and to promise to use their influence in upcoming elections.