Immigrants may flee to other states
As crackdowns spread, job options may dwindle
Daniel González
The Arizona Republic
Jul. 4, 2007 12:00 AM

Sergio Arellanes was back on the job Tuesday, pouring cement for a new home in Ahwatukee in the scorching heat.

But he and other undocumented immigrants spent the day contemplating their fate in Arizona after the governor signed a bill that could put companies out of businesses for hiring them.

News of the law, believed to be the toughest of its kind in the country, sent a shock wave through the immigrant community. It spread far and fast as illegal immigrants braced for the possibility that they may soon lose their jobs if skittish employers begin culling workers wholesale rather than facing the possibility of losing their business licenses, the penalty for a second offense under the measure.
Instead of waiting for that to happen, Arellanes said, he is considering moving to look for work where the climate toward undocumented immigrants is less hostile. Others said they planned to wait and see how the law pans out, then decide whether to stay.

"I'm thinking of going to another state, maybe Nevada or Colorado. I don't know," said Arellanes, 22, who is from Chihuahua, Mexico, and has been living illegally in Arizona for three years.

Arellanes may not find the welcome mat he is expecting. Other states are expected to follow Arizona's lead in passing employer-sanctions laws or other bills to clamp down on illegal immigration out of frustration with Congress' failure to solve the problem.

Colorado already passed a bill that requires employers to verify the legal status of workers. As a result, labor shortages in some industries that rely on immigrant workers were worsened this year, prompting officials in Colorado to contract with prison inmates to pick crops in some areas.

Elias Bermudez, president of the group Immigrants Without Borders, said his Tuesday morning radio show was flooded with calls from illegal immigrants worried about losing their jobs.

"A lot of people are planning to leave," Bermudez said. "A lot of businesses are in danger of shutting down."

In response to the law, his organization began telling illegal immigrants, who number about 500,000 in Arizona, not to spend money except on essentials. The organization is also considering launching a work stoppage after Labor Day if the law is still intact then. Gov. Janet Napolitano has suggested that the state Legislature hold a special session to amend flaws in the measure.

"We only have economic power. We don't have political power," Bermudez said.

That economic influence also could extend to the state's already fragile real estate market. Many long-time illegal residents own their own homes. If they decide to sell and move on, their houses will add to the record 52,000 existing homes for sale Valley-wide.

Based on a normal monthly resale pace of about 5,000, metro Phoenix now has 12-month supply of homes for sale. A healthy housing market has a four- to six-month supply.

If even 1 percent of Arizona's undocumented workers owned homes and then tried to sell them, it would add at least another month to the housing market's oversupply of homes for sale and extend the slowdown by at least that much.

Adrian Holguin, supervisor of the cement crew in Ahwatukee, predicted the new law will worsen labor shortages in Arizona.

To make his point, Holguin walked from his pickup truck down into a large trench. A four-man crew was laying the footings for the basement of a custom home.

"It's 120 degrees down here, easy," Holguin said. "And there's no breeze. This is hard work. Who is going to do it if we leave?"

Sweat dripped down the workers' faces.

Holguin said his company is short five workers because finding enough people is a constant struggle. Cement workers start at $10 an hour, but the work is grueling, he said.

"It's now almost 4 p.m. These guys have been out here since 5 a.m.," said Holguin, an undocumented immigrant from Chihuahua.

Holguin said the cement company employs 20 workers. All but five are undocumented.

"The same goes for other companies," he said. "At some, every single one of their workers is undocumented."

Jose, 38, one of the crew members, said he is waiting to see how the employer-sanctions law pans out before deciding whether to remain in Arizona.

An undocumented immigrant, he asked that his last name not be used out of fear of losing his job.

Jose, who is from Hermosillo, Sonora, said a brother-in-law decided to put his house on the market and return to Mexico with his family immediately after learning the governor signed the employer-sanctions bill.

The law, along with other attempts to crack down on illegal immigration in Arizona, including police arresting undocumented immigrants and stepped-up deportations, had become too much to bear, he said.

"Undocumented immigrants are feeling a lot of pressure in this state," Jose said.

Reporter Catherine Reagor contributed to this article.

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