Sanctions that is! I’m not a ‘deport them all’ kind of guy. I am a Rule of Law – Enforce the Law kind. I have been more than irate ("seething" was I used in the past). In fact, I have advocated that if the incentives were removed, illegals would self-deport (being one of those frugal New England Yankees, why spend the money for something when you can get it for free?).
I told you so!
Well, back on July 5th I was quite happy to blog that Arizona had passed a real strict law – one with teeth as long as a T-Rex. Frankly – a death knell for any business that knowingly employ illegal immigrants:
- The suspension of a business license on the first violation
- Permanent revocation on a second
The message was clear – hire an illegal, get nailed. Wanna stay in business? Hire legal immigrants or citizens. Make sure your paper work is in order. Do due diligence.
Captain Ed gets the Hat Tip here (bold emphasis mine):
Arizona Republic reported on an interesting phenomenon taking place as a new workplace identification law approaches implementation. Those workers with no documentation — in other words, illegal aliens — have begun to sell off their property and leave the state:
Undocumented immigrants are starting to leave Arizona because of the new employer-sanctions law.
The state’s strong economy has been a magnet for illegal immigrants for years. But a growing number are pulling up stakes out of fear they will be jobless come Jan. 1, when the law takes effect. The departures are drawing cheers from immigration hard-liners and alarm from business owners already seeing a drop in sales.
It’s impossible to count how many undocumented immigrants have fled because of the new law. But based on interviews with undocumented immigrants, immigrant advocates, community leaders and real-estate agents, at least several hundred have left since Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano signed the bill on July 2. There are an estimated 500,000 illegal immigrants in Arizona.
Some are moving to other states, where they think they will have an easier time getting jobs. Others are returning to Mexico, selling their effects and putting their houses on the market.
The number departing is expected to mushroom as the Jan. 1 deadline draws closer. After that, the law will require employers to verify the employment eligibility of their workers through a federal database.
The immigration hard-liners appear to have proven one of their main arguments. Illegal immigrants who face a loss of employment due to strict employer sanctions will move elsewhere, and rather quickly. One talk-radio host that caters to what the Republic calls "undocumented immigrants" estimates that the departure rate has already hit 100 per day. It will likely increase until most of them depart before the end of the year, when their jobs will disappear.
More after the jump…
The article states that many are probably packing up and going home which is perfectly fine by me. If they wish to come back, I really do hope they decide to return but return legally. Why? These are the folks that are willing to risk everything (except one thing) for a better life – more adventuresome than others, willing to take a risk, willing to undergo hardship now for more gratification later – all admirable qualities.
But if they do, I want them to become citizens – willing to renounce their citizenship and ties to their home countries. I do not want them to renounce their heritage (hey, being 3rd generation Swedish and Irish, I celebrate St. Patty’s day and love a good smorgasbrod as much as any!) but I do want them to assimilate. Put off to the side your country’s culture for the time being and work like crazy to learn, adopt, and love America’s. Learn English, learn a skill, become / stay independent, and celebrate being an American.
However, another part of the Arizona article just drives me nuts – The Chamber of Commerce there is one such entity:
"Nobody is going to be untouched by the ramifications of this law," said Ann Seiden, spokeswoman for the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The chamber is one of a dozen business groups that have filed a lawsuit seeking to block the law on the grounds that it is unconstitutional.
Gee, how hypocritical! Let’s not worry about the law in the first place – let’s place profits above the law! Sure, we don’t care that we will put other businesses out of contention because they use more expensive American workers. Who cares if we ourselves are breaking the law – we want cheap labor!
Most times in this blog, I will be quite pro-business. In this case, no. One does not place the law before profits. If you break the law, suffer the consequences. You assess the risk; you play the game. In this case, the payoff is great if you don’t get caught. But is that worth the risk of no business if caught?
Their rationale?
Several key industries in Arizona, including construction, manufacturing and agriculture, depend heavily on immigrants, legal and illegal, to fill gaps in the workforce, especially in low-skill jobs, she said.
The labor shortages are due to a native-born population that is aging and more highly educated and therefore doesn’t produce enough low-skilled workers to meet growing demand. As a result, immigrants are doing jobs that Americans won’t do and that Americans aren’t available to do, she said.
What a crock! As the Swift meat packing incident showed, when the illegals leave, legals will come in. The jobs will be done and filled by Americans – but at rates closer to the prevailing wage. Advertise higher wages, people will come.
The old supply and demand. It works all the time.
