Anti-immigrant Measure Fails to Gather Support in Washington

A coalition of over 40 civil and human rights groups in Washington State declared victory on July 7th when Initiative 946, an anti-immigrant measure, failed to gather enough signatures to qualify for the ballot this November.

“We are encouraged that the people of Washington State rejected I-946,” said Michael Ramos, longtime human rights advocate and chair of From Hate to Hope, a statewide coalition that formed last summer to counter the threat of anti-immigrant ballot measures. “If approved, it would have turned doctors and nurses into criminals for doing their jobs, and would have placed the health of our children at risk. Washington voters understood that, and refused to sign.”

I-946 would have required proof of legal immigration status from every applicant for health and human services. Additionally, it would have forced state and local government workers to report suspected undocumented people to federal immigration officials or face criminal charges.

The initiative was filed by Bob Baker, leader of a Mercer Island-based group called Protect Washington Now. The group is part of a national coalition of organizations pushing anti-immigrant ballot measures in various states including Arizona, Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia. According to the Center for New Community, a national civil rights organization, Baker’s counterparts in other states should raise concern with Washington residents:

• Protect Tennessee Now is lead by Virginia Abernethy, a self-proclaimed white "separatist" who has served on the editorial advisory board of two different white nationalist publications.
• Protect Arizona Now is lead by Kathy McKee, who appointed Abernethy to chair the group's national advisory board during the 2004 anti-immigrant ballot measure campaign in Arizona. McKee has been an advisor to Protect Washington Now, and was one of the first contributors to the campaign.
• Protect Arkansas Now is lead by Joe McCutchen, who recently spoke at the Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC) national conference. The CCC is the largest white nationalist group in the country, and the literal reincarnation of the old White Citizens Councils. McCutchen has spoken at the CCC conference a number of times, and has also written numerous anti-Semitic remarks to his local newspaper.

“The defeat of I-946 is a great victory for those of us who believe in racial justice and democracy,” said Bookda Gheisar, executive director of the Social Justice Fund Northwest, which endorsed the No on I-946 campaign. “We are proud to stand in solidarity with immigrant and refugee communities in Washington State, and throughout the nation.”

The Social Justice Fund helped to convene a community forum in Seattle last August, when a different anti-immigrant measure was filed with the Secretary of State’s office. That measure, I-343, also failed to gather enough support to advance to the ballot. From Hate to Hope formed immediately after the community forum, and has since conducted public education on immigrant rights throughout the state and trained over 70 activists on how to fight ballot initiative attacks. With two successive victories, coalition leaders nevertheless cautioned that anti-immigrant extremists would likely continue to push divisive and cynical measures.

“This is no time to rest. We will keep building the capacity of communities across the state to protect civil rights and human dignity,” Ramos said. “We know there’s another attack coming… and we’ll be ready.”