Striking changes in Arizona as illegal immigrants flee the state

Intellectual Conservative ^ | May 15, 2008 | Rachel Alexander

[az4vlad]

Since Arizona's local law enforcement began enforcing illegal immigration laws and an employer sanctions law went into effect, illegal immigrants have been fleeing the state in large numbers. The effects have been far-ranging. Commuters are reporting fewer vehicles on the freeways, shortening their rush-hour commutes. What had become a serious transportation problem in Arizona is losing its urgency. English Learner Language (ELL) students started dropping out of school. This helped end a confrontation between the state legislature and a liberal federal judge who had ordered the state to spend more money on ELL classes.

Fewer illegal immigrants are using hospital emergency rooms, so waiting times have decreased. Although the rest of the country is in an economic slump, unemployment is going down in Arizona, from 4.5% in January to 4.1% in March. Day laborers loitering outside of Home Depot and other stores have mostly disappeared, ending months of confrontation between illegal immigrant sympathizers and protesters. Desert lands near the border are returning to their pristine condition and the wildlife is coming back. Identity theft and car thefts are decreasing. No one showed up on May 1 to march in immigrant rallies.

With illegal immigrants leaving, the state will see huge savings as fewer illegal immigrants use social welfare programs and the cost of arresting, prosecuting, incarcerating and deporting them decreases. Arizona is facing one of the worst budget deficits ever, looming as high as $2 billion in 2009, but the situation may resolve itself.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas are leading the local law enforcement efforts in Arizona against illegal immigration. Arizona is also home to State Representative Russell Pearce, who is responsible for spearheading possibly more laws against illegal immigration than any other state representative in the country. It is also home to Chris Simcox, President of the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps. Other counties around the state are beginning to follow the lead of Maricopa County, signing agreements with I.C.E. to permit their law enforcement agencies to arrest illegal immigrants. Cochise County Attorney Ed Rheinheimer intends to prosecute illegal immigrants for trespassing on public lands. Mesa mayor Keno Hawker recently wrote an op-ed in the East Valley Tribune praising Sheriff Joe Arpaio's sweeps of illegal immigrants. Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik bypassed the Pima County Supervisors when they refused to authorize him to add two Border Patrol agents to his border crime unit, and added them anyways.

Although Arizona's Democrat Governor Janet Napolitano has vetoed most illegal immigration bills since 2002 when she entered office, Arizonans have bypassed her by sending initiatives directly to the ballot. In 2004, voters passed four illegal immigration measures with over 70% yes margins. A law targeting drophouses was signed into law earlier this month. An even stricter employer sanctions measure is currently underway to be on the ballot this fall.

Arizona's llegal immigrants are fleeing to sanctuary cities like San Francisco and states with less enforcement and laws prohibiting illegal immigration like Nebraska, Iowa, and Maryland. Since one out of every illegal immigrant is a felon, the result is felons are disproportionately moving to these places.

Granted there are benefits that immigrants bring to our country. But those benefits are outweighed by the negatives when the immigrants cross illegally. There are too many rules, laws, traditions, and practices in society that conflict with illegal immigrants trying to make a living. Arizona's experiment may end up resolving the illegal immigration problem satisfactorily for all, because once the fiscal expense of illegal immigrants is brought down, revising the laws to permit more immigrants to enter the country legally will become more attractive and realistic.

[Sybeck1]

McCain will throw this out. Today's speech he said all illegal aliens by 2013 who committed crimes here would have been deported. Illegal entry doesn't seem to be a crime in his book and the way I read it is by hook or crook, if you are here by 2013, you have got it made and will get amnesty.

[FreedomPoster]

>>I’m going to love watching the landlords who rented to them scatter like cockroaches as the departures spread.

You’re already seeing it. It’s bound to be a component of the mortgage default crisis.

[exit82]

All this progress in Arizona—and none of it attributable to John McAmnesty.

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

“Since one out of every [———] illegal immigrant is a felon, the result is felons are disproportionately moving to these places.

What is this missing number?

[aft_lizard]

I would think it would be easy after the way the states budget has been destroyed by her and her comrades in the legislature.

[who_would_fardels_bear]

"IS NOT A FELONY."

You know you're going to get some flack for this from the diehard anti-illegal-immigrant crowd.

In any case, I agree with you. The only thing I disagreed with Tancredo on was his wacky idea of making all illegal aliens felons by dint of their coming here illegally.

Making all illegal aliens felons is only going to disrupt the process of their self-deportation.

[DoughtyOne]

I may be, but I doubt it’s the main cause. The main cause was floating loans to citizens who couldn’t service them.

[Syncro]

FTA: “Arizona’s llegal immigrants are fleeing to sanctuary cities like San Francisco...”

Good. They can clog the highways even more along with the gays, who are going there to h(g)et married.

Oh man, so many more are going to get rear-ended!

[Cyber Liberty]

When her term expires. She’s term-limited.

[BlazingArizona]

when is arizona gonna throw don veto napolitano out on her butt ?

We're hoping that Obama will appoint her Permanent Latrine Orderly or something that takes her off our hands.

[Vigilanteman]

Since one out of every illegal immigrant is a felon . . .

Typo? One out of how many?

Now, I wonder how McCain is going to tell us that enforcement first does not work when it is clearly working in his home state.

[Ben Ficklin]

Now that they have watered down the employer sanctions law to include only new employees, does that mean that they will finally begin enforcing the new law?

[Travis McGee]

[Cyclone Conservative]

I live in Iowa and there are many coming here. ICE just raided a packing plant this week and rounded up 390 of them. Not only were they illegal but some of them were running a meth lab IN the packing plant. If more states would crack down we could make a huge dent in this problem.

[kalee]

So the question now is where are they fleeing to?
Hopefully back to Mexico not elsewhere in the States.

[JustaDumbBlonde]

"You know you're going to get some flack for this from the diehard anti-illegal-immigrant crowd."

Why? Where is the flack? I am totally against illegal immigration because it is an security issue as well as a social and economic issue. That doesn't change the fact that it is not a felony to be here illegally. Those that seem to think that illegals are just great have a serious misconception of those who are against illegal immigration.

[az4vlad]

Thanks for catching that typo - it was supposed to say one out of every 10 illegal immigrants is a felon.

[Publius6961]

“Since one out of every [———] illegal immigrant is a felon, the result is felons are disproportionately moving to these places.
What is this missing number?

My educated guess is either 4 or 5.
I agree that an intended number was left out either in the original report or in a transcription.

[CHEE]

That may be true but many felonies occur after entering. Look at all the document fraud that was going on in Iowa. If Americans did that they could expect jail time but the most these “migrants” will get is a free trip back home, if even that))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

I prefer the word “INSURGENTS” over “migrants”.

[SoConPubbie]

Thanks for catching that typo - it was supposed to say one out of every 10 illegal immigrants is a felon.

Actually, that number is much higher.

It is a felony to do the following:

1. Obtain a false Driver's License
2. Obtain a false SSN card.
3. Use false ID to gain employment
4. And I believe Using false ID to gain health care is also a felony(I need to do some more research to prove this one).