Allison Kotzbauer/Cronkite News
PHOENIX – Advocates for Arizona’s underserved communities urged state legislators Tuesday to stop funding deportation efforts and instead use that money for affordable housing, access to higher education and paid family medical leave for all.
Representatives of the nonprofit Living United for Change in Arizona and the Arizona Center for Empowerment gathered at the Capitol for People’s Day to press their agenda for budget priorities.
LUCHA also provided political education to community members who attended the event. ACE representatives led tours for youths around the Capitol and provided information on the organization’s social justice efforts.
Gina Mendez, civic engagement and youth organizer for LUCHA, said the group will press lawmakers to halt funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and reallocate that money for programs the organization deems essential, like affordable housing, affordable insurance and education.
“Our demand is that our taxpaying dollars do not go for immigration enforcement and family separation but instead to essential programs like housing,” Mendez said.
Karime Rodriguez, empowerment services manager for LUCHA, said the two groups also want corporations in Arizona to pay their fair share of taxes to fund essential state programs that help the underserved.
Since the Trump administration has taken office, Mendez said, there is a heightened fear around deportation, and knowing how to inform lawmakers that deportations should stop and those funds allocated to other issues is crucial to alleviate those fears.
“A lot of people (are) scared that there’s going to be deportations, so we wanted to bring it back here, to Arizona, and do what we have control over,” she said. ”We’re going to do some political education with our members and walk them through how the issues are connected to the state budget.”
Rodriguez said it is vital for state legislators to hear directly from the communities that are most affected when deciding the budget.
Rodriguez said she has a personal connection to deportation policies in Arizona, as she has family members who are undocumented. She asked state representatives to take action to protect those closest to her.
“I come from a mixed-status family, and there’s definitely a lot of uncertainty with what we’re hearing not only at the state level but on a national level,” she said.
Rodriguez said she believes the meetings with lawmakers could lead to meaningful changes in legislators’ budget priorities, and further LUCHA’s core causes.
Community member Carol Gaxiola of Tucson attended People’s Day and said she agreed with the issues LUCHA has identified. “We need to be part of the solution,” she said.
State Sen. Analise Ortiz, D-Phoenix, said it is essential that community members continue to show up and push for change in local government.
“When we come together to show that we haven’t given up hope and that we will keep fighting for the things we believe in, it shows policymakers that they can’t ignore us and that they need to remember who they work for,” Ortiz said.
Comentarios