{alltv} Longoria, Alba fight Arizona immigration law

Sunday, August 8, 2010

{alltv} Longoria, Alba fight Arizona immigration law

A Actresses Rosario Dawson, Jessica Alba and Eva Longoria Parker have united to take a stand against new Arizona state immigration laws in a new public service announcement (PSA).

Dawson recruited Alba and Longoria Parker to join a host of Latin stars to fight the controversial legislation, which gives Arizona police new powers to arrest and detain anyone suspected of being an illegal immigrant.

The PSA was recorded for the United We Win campaign, a collaboration between the Sin City star's Voto Latino organisation and cable TV network Mun2, to encourage young people to get involved and fight for civil rights.

In the ad, Longoria Parker says, "I haven't made it a secret that I'm strongly opposed to the Arizona law and I've been pretty vocal about it. It's unfortunate that this immigration issue has been on the national agenda for the past three administrations."

The Desperate Housewives actress fears the racial profiling will result in legal U.S. citizens being discriminated against simply because of the colour of their skin.

She says, "I think the biggest misconception is that everybody who is dark or of colour is from somewhere else. I'm ninth-generation American. I'm more American than a lot of my Anglo friends. If my father got pulled over because of the colour of his skin, I could guarantee you I would be outraged."

And Dawson wants the PSA, which will air in the U.S. in September, to send people to the polls when Arizona's general election is held on November 2.

She tells UsMagazine.com, "We recognise that this isn't just a Mexican issue or a Latino issue... There are people blogging and Tweeting for everything, from the BP spill to education and healthcare.

"We're all buzzing about these things, but unless we're actually marching to the polls, nothing is going to actually change."