Immigration Groups Petition Gubernatorial Candidates to Oppose Arizona Law for Florida

The Florida Immigrant Coalition wants gubernatorial candidates Rick Scott and Alex Sink to pledge their opposition to any law similar to the one recently passed in Arizona allowing law enforcement officers to detain illegal immigrants during routine traffic stops. A petition, signed by a slough of immigrant advocate groups, as well as the Florida Catholic Conference, the NAACP and the ACLU, will be delivered to the Miami offices of each candidate Wednesday.

The petition comes one week before Election Day, but the FLIC says it is "frustrated over double-speak and sloganeering during the election campaign," according to a press release.

Scott is unlikely to sign on to any such petition, as he made illegal immigration a big part of his Republican primary race against Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum. Coming so close to Nov. 2, the petition is also awkward for Sink, the Democrat. She is counting on the support of non-Cuban Latinos and high turnout in the Democratic stronghold of South Florida, but would also like to make inroads among independents, who are leaning towards GOP candidates in nationwide polls.