June 1, 2009
Supreme Court Nominee Sotomayor Connected to La Raza and the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund
FAIRUS.org
Second Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Sonia Sotomayor - President Obama's nominee to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter - has been connected to the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) and the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund (PRLDEF). NCLR is well known in the immigration debate for its support of amnesty for illegal aliens, while PRLDEF has been involved in several immigration-related lawsuits.
According to a profile compiled by the American Bar Association, Sonia Sotomayor was a "member of...the National Council of La Raza" at least as recently as 2000. (American Bar Association Profile, 2000). For decades, NCLR has supported amnesty legislation, including the failed 2007 Bush-Kennedy amnesty bill, AgJOBS and the DREAM Act. NCLR also opposes the REAL ID Act, as well as cooperative state and local law enforcement efforts to help enforce our immigration laws. (See NCLR's Immigration Issues Page).
Sotomayor is also a former board member of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund (PRLDEF). (LatinoJustice PRLDEF Press Release). Now known as LatinoJustice PRLDEF, this organization has: fought for bilingual education in public schools; sued to force the state of New York to grant in-state tuition to illegal aliens; opposed allowing employers to require English be spoken at the workplace; and filed a lawsuit to allow Mexican and Central American day laborers to seek employment in public. (See LatinoJustice PRLDEF's "About Us" Page).
Congress is set to return from its annual Memorial Day recess this week. While it remains unclear as to how Sotomayor's confirmation process will move forward, the Senate will begin hearings on the nomination this summer with the goal of deciding on her appointment before the Supreme Court reconvenes in October.
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The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) is a national, nonprofit, public-interest, membership organization of concerned citizens who share a common belief that our nation's immigration policies must be reformed to serve the national interest.
FAIR seeks to improve border security, to stop illegal immigration, and to promote immigration levels consistent with the national interest-more traditional rates of about 300,000 a year.
