As I am writing this, HCR 2060 just passed the Arizona House of Representatives. This is the bill that several members of our congregation went to the Senate to protest. It is now on the ballot for Arizonans to decide in November. This is something that we need to be worried about for political reasons, as I believe that they are trying to get a border initiative to combat the abortion ballot initiative as conservatives know it will be something that will drive people to the polls.
There are many in our congregation who know the political machinations better than I. As someone who listened to the hateful rhetoric in the Senate, we will have our work cut out for us from a moral standpoint. This initiative is dangerously close to SB1070 which this congregation actively fought in 2010. It too can allow police authorities to check people’s papers and also arrest people and put them in our state prisons.
As a Unitarian Universalist Minister, my moral imperative is to remind us that no human is illegal. While I understand that the country needs healthy and responsible border protections (although I ideally wish for a world where we could all be human citizens), when we respond to situations like this by targeting, detaining, and prisoning people because of their race or ethnicity, we are going against our values.
I’m sure we will hear more. I am ready to show up and be counted when and where I can.
This election season is going to be a doozie. Rest up and care for ourselves so we can show up in meaningful ways.