Hire an Illegal Worker, Lose Your Business
Arizona’s tough new immigration law has companies running scared

by Jane Sasseen

In the 20-plus years since starting out as a cook, Jason LeVecke has built up one of the biggest restaurant chains in Arizona. He now boasts 1,200 employees manning 57 Carl’s Jr.s across the state–ten of them added this year alone. But on Jan. 1, a new law takes effect in Arizona that would severely punish businesses caught hiring illegal immigrants. So LeVecke is looking for growth outside his home state, and will build 25 new restaurants in Texas. Unless the legal situation improves, he says: “We won’t add any new sites in Arizona. It’s too great a risk.â€