Leading International Educator Group Issues Resolution Urging Repeal of Arizona Immigration Law

Members vote to approve resolution during NAFSA 62nd Annual Conference in Kansas City

KANSAS CITY, Mo., June 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Yesterday NAFSA: Association of International Educators, the world's largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education, issued a resolution "calling for the immediate repeal of anti-immigrant legislation by the State of Arizona."

The resolution also urges other states not to enact similar laws, urges the US Congress to move expeditiously to enact comprehensive immigration reform legislation, and resolves that the association will not hold national or regional meetings in Arizona "until this situation is rectified."

The membership acted to approve the resolution at the association's annual business meeting, which took place earlier today in Kansas City as part of NAFSA's 62^nd Annual Conference. It was subsequently approved by NAFSA's Board of Directors. More than 7,100 delegates from 95 countries are participating in this week's conference.

The Arizona law, set to go into effect July 28, would make the failure to carry immigration documents a state crime, require police officers to detain individuals they suspect are not authorized to be present in the United States, and allow individuals who believe federal or state immigration law is not being enforced to sue local government or agencies.

The law has prompted widespread expressions of alarm that, as a New York Times editorial put it, will "lead to more racial profiling, hobble local law enforcement, and open government agencies to frivolous, politically driven lawsuits." The Arizona Police Chiefs Association and police officers around the country have said that the law will interfere with their law enforcement duties and make immigrants reluctant to come forward with information pertaining to a crime. President Obama has said that SB 1070 threatens to "undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish, as well as the trust between police and our communities that is so crucial to keeping us safe." The presidents of several Arizona universities have expressed concern about the unwelcoming message the law sends to foreign students, and least two Mexican universities have canceled student-exchange agreements with Arizona universities. The United States High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Organization of American States are among the international groups that have spoken out against the law.

Read the NAFSA resolution.

SOURCE NAFSA: Association of International Educators