The Impact of Anti-Immigrant Laws

Days ago, I blogged about Utah Immigration Law HB 497 and what the reaction of pro-immigrant organizations against the mentioned regulation has been. Several states have enacted similar laws against immigrants; Arizona HB 1070, Georgia HB 87, South Carolina SB20 and Alabama HB 56. These anti-immigrant legislations bring significant and terrible consequences for theU.S. economy and its citizens. The burden of implementing anti-immigrant laws rest not only upon the local governments, but also upon the Federal government. As a result, the money that could be used to improve peoples’ lives is currently used to make immigrants’ lives miserable. This is sad to mention if we think about how tax-paying, hard-working immigrants have contributed to improve the U.S. economy.

I would like to focus on three aspects which represent damage to theU.S.by enacting anti-immigrant laws:

1.The encumbrance of implementing these laws, which requires the presence of police officers which commonly would be performing their normal duties, not “catching immigrants”. This is a waste of tax-payer’s money because we now have to pay police officers to do a job which is not theirs. In addition, anti-immigrant laws compel small businesses/employers to use the overpriced E-Verify (employment verification system) to validate if the employees are allowed to work legally in the United States of America.

2.The economic damage which comes from the terrible environment immigrants are living by being rejected from the state that has been their home FOR YEARS. As a result, these people are leaving to other states where they are welcome to stay or at least they are not being bothered by the police and the environment is not hostile. This immigrant’s exodus affects the states which stop receiving the immigrant’s property tax, payroll taxes or even sales tax money.

3.The cost of legal Fees which comes from defending anti-immigrant laws and paying attorneys to defend anti-immigrant governors like Arizona’s; due to the fact that they are being sued by pro-immigrant organizations.

As previously said, laws like Arizona HB 1070, Georgia HB 87, South Carolina SB20 and Alabama HB 56 are bringing abysmal costs for the

U.S.economy and citizens. Hopefully, the persecution of immigrants ends soon with an IMMIGRATION REFORM.

1.Responding to State Immigration Laws Resource Page from the Immigration Policy Council

2.2011 Immigration-Related Laws and Resolutions in the States a report from the National Conference of State Legislatures

3. The Economic and Political Impact of Immigrants, Latinos and Asians State by State a report from theImmigrationPolicyCenter

4.The Wrong Approach: State Anti-Immigration Legislation in 2011 a report from the

National Council of La Raza

5.Q&A Guide to State Immigration Laws from theImmigrationPolicyCenter

6.Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama v. Bentley, Parsley v. Bentley, and U.S. v. Alabama

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