Documented and
undocumented
immigrants
flee
After Colorado got nasty with undocumented immigrants, many documented immigrants refused to come to the Rocky Mountains. That put a crunch on San Luis Valley farmers who could not find enough labor to get their crops out of the ground, a little known fact the Colorado congress does not want you to know.
Colorado decided it would not allow any public services to undocumented people which was interpreted by narrow minds to mean no auto registrations, or public health. They even required business renewals to certify the owners were documented, forcing business to sell out. Some may not have noticed, but Colorado is not in an economic boom.
Arizona has taken the cake regarding anti-immigrant legislations with SB 1070. The law requires police to detain all persons suspected of being undocumented. While protests against the law have centered around the racial profiling aspect, the people most affected by the law are undocumented immigrants.
It is sad to say, anti-immigrant forces are saying “Hasta La Vista”. In fact in the first phrase of an article in the New York Daily News author Meena Hartenstein starts her article with the words “Hasta la vista”! Perhaps it is just a slip, but Hartenstein’s statement is at best uncomplimentary.
Fox News headlines say there is no data to show the mass exodus, as the conservative newspaper attempts to shed doubt on the effect of SB 1070. Later in the article they admit Latino children have been pulled out of school.
When I was in Arizona for the event “Alto Arizona” the National Day of Action, in which 100,000 people marched in protest of SB 1070, the news was clear: Yes, there is a mass fleeing of Latinos from Arizona! Most are undocumented immigrants, but some are citizens fed up with hate filled laws.
No matter how you cut it, undocumented immigrant or Latino citizen, one thing is sure: Arizona is going to pay a huge economic price for a law which is considered by human rights activists as discriminatory and subject to abuse.
Activist are not the only ones protesting. Municipalities like Las Angeles, companies and private citizens are saying “Hasta la vista, Arizona!” by cancelling visits. As early as May 4th, 2010, owner of the Clarendon Hotel in Phoenix, Ben Bethel said customers canceled 80 room reservations in just one day!
Arizona Republicans, most of whom are business owners, also failed to take into account how much money undocumented immigrants contribute to the economy. They buy tv’s and air-conditioners like others. One hopes Republican property owners are ready for tax hikes, as the state will be short on the tax base by the end of the year.
Get your FREE ARIZONA MAP AND TOURIST GUIDE at the expense of the State of Arizona here! No catch, EZ fill-in the blanks!
Once again the call for comprehensive immigration reform is being heard in the U.S. Senate. The idea is to provide a fair resolution to the immigration problem, stop ugly laws like SB 1070 and rescue foolish Republicans from themselves. Based upon the disaster forming in Arizona, no time is like the present for this badly needed reform.
Technorati Tags: sb 1070,illegals flee,hispanics leave arizona,cities,businesses boycott,jan brewer,clarendon hotel,boycott arizona,alto arizona,puente arizona,leave arizona
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