Florida Travel Boycott Looms if State Passes Arizona-Style Immigration Bill

Florida's state immigration battle continues to heat up, with news this morning that Florida could face a national travel boycott that could cost the state tens of millions of dollars. On a media briefing organized by the Center for Community Change this morning, national leaders announced their intention to boycott Florida if controversial SB 2040 becomes law.

According to Janet Murguía, Executive Director and CEO of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), Arizona's draconian immigration legislation brought swift condemnation from national leaders for legitimizing racial profiling. In the wake of its passage, her organization called for a boycott of conventions and travel to the state, and they were not alone.

Now, Murguía argues, "What has Arizona gained? Not a solution, but boycotts, lawsuits, legal fees, and court rulings." She points out that Arizona tourism has already lost 490 million dollars and is projected to lose 262 million moving forward.

"Our response to federal inaction cannot be irresponsible state action," said Murguía. "We think Floridians should know better. Arizona doesn’t want to be the next Arizona, why should Florida?"

In fact, twenty-two states have already taken a pass on Arizona-style copycat laws, including conservative states like Nebraska, Mississippi, and Kansas (the home state of the man who wrote Arizona's extreme law).

Murguía argued that the law would bring unintended consequences for Florida: racial profiling, discrimination, and revenue losses. She also reminded legislators that SB 2040 does nothing to remedy our badly broken immigration system, which must be fixed at the federal level.

Wade Henderson, President and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCR), joined the call for a boycott, arguing that the legislation “strips its own people of its dignity, safety, and Constitutional rights." Henderson believes that Florida's bill “turns American justice on its head” because it assumes whole groups of people are guilty until proven innocent.

“The shameful irony is that lawmakers in the Sunshine State are forced to decide whether or not to force their own constituents into the shadows of society,” Henderson stated. "It does not address the key issues that Florida needs to address. Politicians behind these laws are manipulating Florida’s problems in a craven attempt to score political points."

Joining civil rights leaders was Justin Ruben, Executive Director of MoveOn.org, who argued, "America is a country in which in tough times we take care of each other, we don’t turn on each other. We think this bill would do great damage to our members in Florida and millions of Floridians."

"If this bill passes, our members will take their business and their tourism dollars elsewhere,” Ruben warned.

The Florida Immigrant Coalition has been organizing around the clock to stop the bill's passage and urges members to sign the petition and make calls to stop SB 2040 from becoming law.

Photo Credit: We Are Florida