Tuesday, May 25, 2010

MATC District Board Approves Arizona Travel And Vendor Boycott

Milwaukee Area Technical College becomes the first Wisconsin college to boycott Arizona for enacting SB 1070, a state law expected to lead to racial profiling and discrimination

By H. Nelson Goodson
May 25, 2010

Milwaukee  -A press release from the Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) on Tuesday announced, that the Milwaukee Area Technical College District Board of Directors had approved a resolution that directs the college administration to refrain from purchasing good or services from any company headquartered in Arizona; to not send MATC employees to conferences or meetings held in Arizona; and to review existing contracts for the purchase of goods and services with companies headquartered in Arizona and to discontinue those contracts consistent with the terms of the contract.
MATC currently spends about $90,000.00 per year with venders located in Arizona.
The MATC Board Tuesday's decision to boycott Arizona has joined the national boycott with other groups, organizations, corporations and major cities. MATC is the first college in Wisconsin to boycott Arizona and not allow tax dollars to be spent in Arizona due to Governor Jan Brewer's passage of SB 1070 immigration enforcement state law deemed discriminatory and would lead to racial profiling.
The Arizona law is considered unconstitutional. The Arizona state law makes it crime to be illegally in the country and police officers are authorized to ask for legal status from people when conducting investigations from minor to serious state violations or city ordinances.
Arizona Governor Brewer recently approved a ban of ethnic studies in public schools.
Arizona is facing a $3 billion deficit and recently, the Los Angeles City Council approved an $8 million dollar boycott resolution, which will prevent city employees from traveling and doing business with Arizona. San Francisco and other cities have also passed similar resolutions.
In Milwaukee, Alderman Jim Witkowiak who represents the predominately Hispanic district submitted a resolution to boycott Arizona, but it was sent to committee and has yet to be approved by the Common Council.
The Arizona state law SB 1070 preempts federal law. The Bill of Rights 10th amendment ratified on Dec. 15, 1791 restates the Constitution's principle of federalism, that powers not granted to the national government by the Constitution of the United States nor prohibited to the States were reserved to the States or to the people. Since Congress granted the federal government authority to regulate and enforce immigration laws, States lack constitutional authority to enact immigration laws conflicting with the federal government.
Today, 17 states are crafting similar Arizona SB 1070 immigration enforcement laws, and the Assistant Secretary of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed last week, that ICE may not accept or process state illegals arrested by similar Arizona SB 1070 state laws. ICE agencies throughout the country were notified of the decision, according to John Morton Assistant ICE Secretary.

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