LA Considering End to Arizona Boycott
Ross Frasier, Press TV (Tehran), April 28, 2011
Protests are rising in Los Angeles over the possibility of city leaders ending a boycott against Arizona.
The boycott started last year in reaction to Arizona’s new immigration law requiring police to check immigration papers.
L-A leaders passed a resolution to boycott all Arizona-based companies and suspend all city-funded travel to Arizona.
But now a coalition of immigration groups is criticizing the city and calling for the boycott to continue.
This coalition says Los Angeles city leaders are not doing enough to boycott Arizona.
They want to see the city take additional action.
Loyda Alvarado is one of the immigration activists pushing for the city to pass an ordinance that would make the boycott permanent.
Alvarado says as the largest city to participate in the boycott, Los Angeles has cost Arizona millions of dollars.
And she says the Arizona business community is now reacting by standing against the law and any further measures like it.
Activists say it’s clear that the law is doing nothing to help Arizona.
They say it has distracted Arizona leaders from tackling the real issues facing the state.
Los Angeles city leaders are indicating that they might break the boycott by signing a 100 million dollar deal with Arizona-based Honeywell.
Supporters of the boycott say this action would make Los Angeles look weak and threaten the entire boycott campaign.
But other residents say the Arizona debate has gotten out of hand.
They want to see a real solution to immigration in America that does not involve amnesty.
Arizona officials estimate the boycott has cost the state more than 150 million in lost meeting and convention business alone since the law was signed this past April.
