Ariz. Prop. 202 Flunks "Truth in Advertising" Test

Arizona Proposition 202 Flunks Truth in Advertising Test
"Stop Illegal Hiring Act" Would Green Light Hiring of Illegal Aliens

(Washington, D.C.) October 30, 2008 -- Arizona already has an effective state policy against hiring illegal aliens. Over the strong objections and large sums of money spent by the Chamber of Commerce and other business interests to defeat Proposition 200 in 2004, Arizona voters enacted strong measures to hold businesses accountable. So why would the very same people who fought Proposition 200, and who opposed the mandatory use of E-Verify to prevent the hiring of illegal aliens, suddenly be behind Proposition 202, a ballot initiative they call The Stop Illegal Hiring Act?

The answer is simple. Proposition 202 is an act of deception, not an act to stop the hiring of illegal aliens. Even the state's leading newspaper, the Arizona Republic, editorialized on October 27, "Proposition 202 is dubbed the Stop Illegal Hiring Act. But this isn't the get-tough law it purports to be." In fact Prop. 202, in complete contradiction to its title, would eliminate most of the barriers to hiring illegal aliens in Arizona.

"Arizona's state-based policies work, which is precisely why the same people who fought them every step of the way are once again spending huge sums to dismantle them," charged Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). "Worse yet, these cheap labor interests are going about it in the most deceptive way possible by falsely labeling an initiative that would gut worker protections and enable employers to hire illegal workers."

FAIR, working with local Arizona-based activist groups, helped pass Proposition 200 in 2004. Arizona law currently requires that all employers use the federal E-Verify system to check the eligibility status of new hires, and allows the state to hold employers accountable even if the federal government fails to act. The deceptive Prop. 202 would abolish the requirement that Arizona businesses use the E-Verify system.

"E-Verify offers the easiest and most accurate procedure for confirming the eligibility of people applying for jobs. Current Arizona law protects honest employers who want to obey the law, and legal workers looking for jobs," Stein continued. "Proposition 202 would reverse the immigration reform progress made in Arizona and would cause legal residents to, once again, compete with illegal aliens for jobs and wages at a time when the economy is weak and jobs are scarce.

"Arizonans deserve to know when they are having the wool pulled over their eyes by a well-financed campaign of deception. The only thing the Stop Illegal Hiring Act would prevent is employers being held accountable for breaking the law and undermining legal workers," concluded Stein.

Federation for American Immigration Reform