In early May 2011, Arizona state governor Jan Brewer signed two new immigration-related laws. The first would allow for the formation of a civilian militia under the command of the governor, and the second -- bill SB 1406 -- would allow citizens to raise private funds for construction of a border fence. Yesterday, the state launched a web site to begin collecting donations.
According to the Detroit Free Press, the site received over $30,000 in donations within its first 14 hours of operation, and is part of a fence-building strategy that will also use inmate labor. The inital fund raising goal of the web site is $50 million. "It's not my end goal," said Senator Steve Smith, a first-term Republican who authored bill SB-1406. "If we can raise $50 million, we're off to a fabulous start."
Information on a page titled "Is my donation tax deductible?" states that the State of Arizona "is a qualifying organization for the purpose of charitable contributions," and urges donors to contact their tax advisors for guidance.
The site, which features the logo and a link back to the official government of Arizona web site, contains the following statement: "One of the gravest threats facing America today is the lack of security and enforcement along the U.S. and Mexican border. The consequences of this lack of security have yielded an unparalleled invasion of drug cartels, violent gangs, an estimated 20 million illegal aliens, and even terrorists."
This is not the first immigration-related legislation signed by the governor. In April 2010, Brewer signed the controversial state law SB-1070, which made it a misdemeanor to lack proper immigration paperwork, and which required that police officers determine 'suspicious' persons' immigration status. Proponents of SB-1070 claimed that the bill empowered law enforcement to do their job. Critics said the bill supported racial profiling and institutional racism.
