It’s Mexico vs. Denmark at the University of Phoenix Stadium in
Glendale , Arizona on
January 30 and you would think anticipation and excitement for the game would
be high from fans and Mexican-Americans in Arizona . But immigration rights organizations say not so fast.
“The Mexican soccer team is coming down to play in the
apartheid state of Arizona,” says Salvador Reza, 61, an organizer for TonaTierra for 20 years
who works with its Barrio Defense Committees engaging with families on problems
they face from authorities. “Where anybody who looks brown is suspect and
officers would even stop them if they saw them driving. For them to come here
and leave millions of dollars to the state of Arizona in taxes and revenue is a disservice
to the community they represent.”
In a statement to NBC Latino, the Mexican Soccer Federation
said it believes it’s important for the Mexican national team to take part in
the game in Arizona .
“For the Mexican Soccer Federation it’s important that
the Mexican team be present in any state in the United States, so we can give
fans who always support us a great show, and we’re certain many fans will be
with us for the game,” it wrote in Spanish.
Reza says there aren’t many organizations still supporting a
boycott of Arizona after theNational Council of La Raza said there is no ongoing boycott against
the state for its treatment of Latinos, but says TonaTierra is receiving
support from the National
Day Laborer Organizing Network and its affiliates.
Continue reading about the Mexican National Soccer Team being under pressure by immigration activists in
