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Austin mayor pro tem eyes AZ boycott
Martinez says he supports ban on travel, biz
Updated: Thursday, 29 Apr 2010, 11:41 PM EDT
Published : Thursday, 29 Apr 2010, 2:51 PM EDT
AUSTIN (KXAN) - Austin Mayor Pro Tem Mike Martinez said on his Twitter feed Thursday that he was "working on it" when a follower asked him if Austin would boycott Arizona in response to its tough new law fighting illegal immigration. By the end of the day, he joined Mayor Lee Leffingwell and council member Bill Spellman to announce their intent to limit travel to Arizona, as well as city business with the state.
"We as a city don't engage in business practices with folks who discriminate or folks who practice, in my opinion, racism," said Martinez. "We believe the Arizona law does create the environment for racial profiling- its a hostile environment."
The move comes as some Texas lawmakers promise to propose similar leglsiation in Texas next year, and protests begin mounting from Austin to Dallas and beyond.
San Francisco and Los Angeles have both passed resolutions banning official travel to and business with Arizona, and encouraging residents to show their displeasure with the law by boycotting it as well.
The new law allows police to ask for documentation of citizenship if they have "reasonable suspicion" that the person is in the country illegally. The law does not define "reasonable suspicion." Opponents of the law, signed last week, say that among other things, it gives police license to harass minorities who lawful citizens but who may not carry around proof of citizenship in their normal routine.
On Thursday, a Twitter follower of Martinez asked if Austin would do the same thing L.A. and San Francisco had done. Martinez responded that he was "all 4 it (sic)."
"We are working on it," he wrote a few minutes later. "Hope to have something by COB (end of the day)."
A group of students at University of Texas-Austin staged a small demonstration against the law on Thursday, and a larger march is planned downtown for Saturday.
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