— As if Arizona’s immigration debate wasn’t already hot, Sen. John McCain has ignited a barrage of criticism by saying that there is “substantial evidence” that illegal immigrants are partly responsible for wildfires in the state.
McCain is standing by the statement he made over the weekend as he toured a massive wildfire in eastern Arizona, but immigrant rights advocates say the state’s senior senator is using illegal immigrants as scapegoats. Authorities have said humans started the three major blazes in Arizona, but investigators don’t know any more details. “It’s his constant refrain for everything that ails mankind,” said Roberto Reveles, the founding president and a current member of the Phoenix-based Hispanic civil rights group Somos America. “It just seems like we have an epidemic of, ‘Blame it all on the illegal aliens, blame it all on the Mexicans.’ It’s amazing that the public doesn’t rebel against this type of scapegoating.”
Officials say all three blazes are the result of human activity. Whether illegal immigrants were involved — as has sometimes been the case — is unknown.
The issue heated up over the weekend when McCain told reporters: “There is substantial evidence that some of these fires have been caused by people who have crossed our border illegally. The answer to that part of the problem is to get a secure border.”
McCain and fellow Arizona Republicans Sen. Jon Kyl and Rep. Paul Gosar released a joint statement Monday defending McCain, saying they had been told that some fires in the southern part of the state are started by illegal immigrants. They did not specify to which fires they were referring but framed the debate as a distraction. “While Arizonans continue to face the enormous challenges related to these wildfires, it’s unfortunate that some are inserting their political agenda into this tragedy,” their statement said.
Christie reported from Phoenix.
