Illinois lawmaker wants Sox out of Arizona
SPRINGFIELD - The new Arizona immigration law has one Illinois legislator in an uproar, so he's calling on the owner of the Chicago White Sox to pull out of the team's Glendale, Ariz., training camp.
"I thought about how they would feel as they traveled to Arizona," state Sen. Martin Sandoval, a Cicero Democrat, said of Latino White Sox players.
The new Arizona law requires suspected undocumented immigrants to be detained and asked for proof of citizenship. The law caused protests nationwide, including a few outside Wrigley Field last week when the Cubs played the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Sandoval said he sent a letter to White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf, calling on him to move the team out of its Arizona-based Camelback Ranch training camp as a sign of solidarity with the state of Illinois, which owns U.S. Cellular Field.
A White Sox spokesman said the team received the letter but it was inappropriate to comment on a national issue that would impact more than just the team. The spokesman said Reinsdorf is out of town and has not seen the letter or spoken with Sandoval yet.
At least one suburban lawmaker and White Sox fan agrees with Sandoval.
"We should basically boycott Arizona in that regard," said Waukegan Democratic state Sen. Terry Link.
Asked about the Cubs spring training in Arizona, Link begrudgingly acknowledged that team's existence.
"I'm not a Cubs fan so I could care less what they do. But I understand they're already contemplating a move to Florida," he said.
Meanwhile, Gov. Pat Quinn, a noted White Sox fan, said the issue is "worth looking into" and said the Arizona law is an example of "racial profiling."
His Republican challenger in the November election, state sen. Bill Brady, said he doesn't have an opinion the law. He wouldn't comment on whether it's appropriate for police to question people about their immigration status. Brady said Wednesday he has a study group helping him develop a position on immigration.
The union representing Major League players came out against the Arizona law last week, saying it should be "repealed or modified promptly."
The new law is not the first Arizona public policy and the professional sporting world collided. In the early 1990s, the NFL moved a Super Bowl to Pasadena after Arizona refused to recognize the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
The latest immigration flap prompted the Phoenix Suns organization to outfit players in "Los Suns" jerseys for Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals Wednesday night "to honor our Latino community and the diversity of our league, the state of Arizona, and our nation," owner Robert Sarver said.
• Daily Herald news services contributed to this report.