Colombian megastar Shakira is looking to meet with Arizona officials to discuss the recently-passed immigration law that would, in essence, legalize profiling.
According to the HuffPo, "Shakira is deeply concerned about the impact of this law on hardworking Latino families," said Trevor Nielson, her political and philanthropic adviser. "She is coming to Arizona to try to learn more about how law enforcement is reacting to this new law and how we can ensure that people in the state of Arizona are not being targeted because of the color of their skin."
Shakira’s interest in the plight of immigrants throws a mega wattage on the issue that President Obama is already signaling that he will not take up, as he promised in his campaign.
In an interview with AP, Obama said, “We've gone though a very tough year and I've been working Congress very hard, so I know there may not be an appetite immediately to dive into another controversial issue.”
For now, civil rights groups and other organizations are standing by immigrants. Shakira’s stand may inspire others – maybe even Obama? – to stick to the plan: Fulfilling his own presidential campaign promise to institute real reform.
