Thread: Will Arizona’s Immigration Law Work?

Will Arizona’s Immigration Law Work?
By Froma Harrop

What would happen if the United States seriously enforced the ban on hiring undocumented workers? We may find out starting Jan. 1, when Arizona promises to do it locally. The Arizona law is tough. Companies that knowingly employ illegal workers will have their business licenses suspended for a first offense and permanently revoked for the second.

The law clearly sees the workplace — not the state’s 376-mile border with Mexico — as the main front in curbing illegal immigration. As a result, it could very well succeed.

Supporters of open borders predict economic chaos as Arizona companies lose access to cheap labor. Will dishes go unwashed and lawns unmowed? We shall see.

Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano reluctantly signed the law but vows to enforce it. A moderate Democrat, she maintains a close relationship with the governor of Sonora, the Mexican state to her south. She was also the first American governor to ask for National Guard reinforcements along the border.

Immigration happens to be Washington’s responsibility. Federal law already forbids employers to hire undocumented workers. Until very recently, the Bush administration virtually ignored the ban. Whenever anger at this dereliction grew politically problematic, Bush would stage some new military show at the border.

The troop movements provided a nice distraction but seem to have only modestly cut the flow of illegal immigrants. Folks from every continent enter the United States unlawfully through portals far from Mexico. Nearly half of all undocumented workers came here legally but overstayed their visas.

What the fixation on the border does is create unnecessary friction with Latin America. It seems to single out one ethnic group, discomforting even native-born Hispanics who object to illegal immigration. Roughing up poor peasants makes for an ugly visual, as do high fences facing what’s supposed to be a good neighbor.

Without the job magnet, of course, most illegal aliens would simply not come here. That would free law enforcement to go after the bad actors trying to enter. The Mexican border would become a far more peaceful crossing that allows an easy back-and-forth of shoppers, tourists, friends and family members.

The question remains, how essential is illegal labor to America’s prosperity? One thing is clear: The people who want it should not be providing the answers.

The National Journal asked Napolitano about “business communityâ€

good for Airzona, and Oklahoma they have finally taken the bull by the horns and applied our country's law.

Originally Posted by Irembr911

good for Airzona, and Oklahoma they have finally taken the bull by the horns and applied our country's law.

If it works in AZ & OK, other states will follow. Remember, states also have RIGHJTS !

Seems to me the Arizona laws will work "IF" they stick to it. Right now the initial lawsuits apparently failed to stop implementation of the laws, so that state government has no excuse to pass onto citizens if they fail to enforce those laws.

The truth is, many citizens of many states would support such laws, "IF" their elected leaders gave them the opportunity to vote accordingly. However, corporate America has made sure to keep such issues off the polls so voters do not get their say. Businesses have invested hundreds of millions to make sure elected officials do not push this in individual states. And so far, their ploy has worked.

However, national attitudes clearly show the majority of Americans do NOT want open borders, do NOT want amnesties, do NOT want benefits for illegal aliens "OR" their children. Thats not being mean, just realistic. If the children of citizens do not qualify for "in-state" tuition, why should the children of illegal aliens? Its just not fair. We have the right to demand our laws be respected & enforced! Thats not racist, its logic!

The issue of amnesty is just that. Fairness. The amnesty bills have always
been lopsided. They "give" significantly more than they get. And at no time can Americans allow their votes to be diluted by legalized illegal aliens who broke our laws to sneak in or over-stay a legal permit to be here. Citizenship is "THE Gold Standard" that we cannot permit to be diluted or diminished by an influx of people who are not committed to becoming "real" American citizens. So long as they want dual citizenship or other connectors to the old country, they demonstrate they really do not covet American citizenship. We must protect & cherish that for those of us who truly care about this nation & the rights it has endowed us with.

My citizenship is by accident of birth. My family traces its entry to this nation to the early 1700's. Family died to gain independence & in every other conflict this nation has encountered. I treasure their sacrifices, have withstood my own sacrifices, & will not stand idly by as others who "blame America" for the world's ills, denigrate being American or the American experience. Those who seek to make America look like the reason there are problems in the world, have no respect for sacrifice, have no real understanding of freedom, and have a very narrow & convoluted view of the rest of the world. I am not & do not want to be a member of "the collective." I am an individual American, proud of it & willing to fight for it!
After all these years, and based on the fact that this is the only country I and many of my ancestors have ever known, I can now say "I" am a
"NATIVE" American. "THIS" is "MY" old country, as it was my fathers, his fathers, his fathers, and his fathers. When told to go home, I know its a small town along the Susquehanna River in Southcentral Pennsylvania, USA! No one can say to me I must leave. Evidence has proven beyond doubt that even native American Indians migrated here over the Bering Straits land bridge centuries ago. And, Hispanics also "took" Central & South America away from the native tribes there, plus wiped them off the face of the earth forever! The Mayans, Aztecs, & others were wiped out by Spanish explorers. So telling us to leave because its theirs, is unacceptable & incorrect!


Arizonans have an opportunity to actually begin to make the real difference that will reinforce the value of American citizenship, re-establish the rule of law, protect American jobs & our economy, keep our towns & cities safer, and still allow for "legal" immigration, but only as much as we need & can support. Plus, we must have time & a program in place to assimilate those who come. We must make sure they too become "real" Americans.

I hope Arizonans stick with this, recapture their own state, and set the tone for the rest of America to follow! If they do, we all owe them a huge thank you!