First Latina Governor to Face her First Mass Protest

When Susana Martinez was elected Governor of New Mexico some Latinos and many Democrats slammed a metaphoric dammit-fist on their desk. They were undercut by those sneaky Republicans. Martinez is the first Latina Governor of any state in the union, a ribbon that Democrats would have loved on their lapel.  The fact that Democrats were in the crowd for this event says more about their bandied inclusiveness than it does about anything else. There are many Latinas with the preparation needed for such an executive political position, it’s just that the Republicans found one first.

It hasn’t taken long, though, for the loyal opposition to get over themselves. Fox News Latino reports:

Immigrant rights groups are planning to rally at the Capitol in protest of the Republican governor’s immigration policies.
Somos Un Pueblo Unido, an immigrants rights based in Sante Fe, is helping to organize Monday’s rally at the Capitol against what it considers anti-immigrant policies.
The planned demonstration comes a week after Martínez, who became the first Latina governor in the country after the November elections, issued an executive order requiring state law enforcement to check the immigration status of criminal suspects.

They’re not very happy with their new governor. As NewsTaco reported, “Five years ago then governor Bill Richardson, a Democrat, issued a resolution that barred state law enforcement officials from asking people about their immigration status. Gov. Martinez has signed an order of her own obligating state police to do the opposite.” Martinez says her order does not apply to routine traffic stops but she’s also eying the reversal of a law that let’s undocumented immigrants obtain drivers licenses in her state. The fear among grass-roots workers is that those orders will lead to profiling by some officers in the field.

You can’t say Martinez has been resting on her laurels. She took office and got to work, striking a line across what was and furthering her party’s agenda – Republicans were, after all, the one’s that brung ‘er.

No word yet on who many folks are expected at Mondays rally.