Julie Erfle: Unlikely Advocate for Immigration Reform

When her husband, Phoenix police officer Nick Erfle, was killed by an undocumented immigrant, many Arizonans expected Julie Erfle to join forces with the state’s anti-immigration groups. But Erfle surprised them.

“I refused to be a part of that equation, because America can do better,” she says. Erfle’s background as a journalist led her to examine the misconceptions behind America’s immigration debate that inhibit positive change. She created a website to share her findings, hoping her observations would motivate others to get involved in the movement for immigration policy reform. “It’s toxic to even address [immigration] for many of our leaders because there is so much misinformation out there,” Erfle says. “My main focus is to educate.”

Erfle partners as a powerful spokesperson with immigration reform groups. And her blog, Politics Uncuffed, offers a thoughtful perspective on the search for solutions. 

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This article originally appeared in It's Your Body, the Fall 2012 issue of YES! Magazine.

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