The alliance of Latino and civil rights groups that spearheaded a 2010 nationwide boycott of Arizona is also considering a revival of their protests in the wake of a stream of new, anti-immigration legislative proposals now under consideration there.

Banded together as the Somos America Coalition, leaders of the group insist as many as a half dozen current proposals now making their way through state chambers have given them cause for grave concern.

Among the legal proposals now being weighed by the Arizona Legislature the group finds most egregious is a measure known as Senate Bill 1377 that would require all undocumented immigrants convicted of certain crimes to serve out their entire sentences and not be eligible for parole.

Protest Letter Already Delivered to Governor

Somos founding President Roberto Reveles had already delivered a letter to Gov. Doug Ducey requesting that he kill the bill now or clearly bury it once and for all after it reaches his desk.

"During the boycott, Arizona's business community eventually delivered a clear message to the Legislature's leadership to reject any further anti-Latino and anti-immigrant policies," the letter read. "Regrettably, the legislature is once again promoting extremist public policy shamelessly aimed at making life so miserable for undocumented immigrants that they will self-deport."

Soon after the 2010 boycott commenced, a study found that the state had lost at least $141 million in "economic activity."

Republicans Stand in Strong Support of Proposals

Still, in the face of such catostrophe and Somos' newly delivered warning, a spokesman for the governor took on a defiant tone.

Beyond characterizing talk of a renewed boycott as "a stunt that should be widely condemned," spokesman Daniel Scarpinato chalked it all up to election year politicking.

"Let me be very clear," he added. "Any discussion of a boycott is election-season politics at its worst and these groups should be ashamed of themselves for trying to divide Arizona and destroy our economy."

Other proposals raising the ire of Reveles and other coalition leaders include one targeting state funding of cities that issue ID cards to immigrants or refuse to cooperate with immigration agents. Another measure would ban states from helping to relocate refugees to other cities.

The boycotts of 2010 came to life after years of years of unbalanced legislation targeting immigrants, including the signing of Senate Bill 1070 by then Republican Gov. Jan Brewer that requires police to ascertain the immigration status of anyone arrested or detained when there is "reasonable suspicion" they are in the U.S. illegally.

Republican State Sen. Steve Smith is sponsoring Bill 1377 and insists it is aimed at preventing a repeat of the 2015 tragedy where a 21-year-old store clerk was murdered by an undocumented immigrant free on bond by immigration officials following an unrelated state conviction.

Arizona is also home to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who touts himself as "America's toughest sheriff" and is notorious for his hardline immigration stance. In August of 2015, a federal appeals court dropped a suit brought about Arpaio against President Barack Obama challenging the administration's executive action on immigration.

Across the nation, a recent Pew Research study found some 27.3 million Hispanics will be eligible to cast votes this 2016 presidential election season with immigration reform standing at the forefront of the issues.

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