Saturday, August 21, 2010

Boone, Kenton back Arizona immigration law

From Enquirer reporter Mark Hansel:

Two Northern Kentucky fiscal courts took different paths to reach a similar conclusion on a controversial issue Tuesday.

Kenton County Fiscal Court endorsed the Arizona immigration law by a 3-1 vote at its meeting Tuesday morning; later in the evening, Boone County Fiscal Court offered its support by the same margin.

The law, known as Senate Bill 1070, recently went into effect in Arizona after some of the more controversial provisions were blocked by a federal judge.

In Kenton County, the resolution passed with little discussion or public input.

In Boone County, however, the debate lasted more than an hour and attracted an audience of about 70 people, many of whom weighed in on the resolution.

Speakers included Jerome Bowles of the Northern Kentucky branch of the NAACP and Juan Pena of the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights, who spoke out against the resolution.

“I know this is a resolution not a law or an ordinance, but it sends a strong message across the county, the state and across the nation,” said Pena, who is based in Louisville.

Boone County Tea Party members, however, said the resolution was requested to show support for the rights of states to enact legislation without interference from the federal government...

[Full Article]