Arizona Scares Illegal Immigrants Away.

When one associates and advocates what others see as a problem there is something known as guilty by association. In legal terms, is it referred to as being an accomplice. So I have to ask, is it any wonder that people might take this attitude?

Abel Ledezma, a 31-year-old telephone technician from Chihuahua state in Mexico, has a work permit, but his fiancee, Cecy, a waitress, is undocumented. Ledezma put his house on the market in July after the governor signed the law. The two plan to move to Albuquerque, which Ledezma thinks is more welcoming of immigrants, legal and illegal.

"I feel like the people's attitudes towards not only immigrants but also Hispanics has become very rude" in Arizona, Ledezma said.

I applauded Mr. Ledezma for doing things the legal way since he has a work permit. If all immigrants were followed this path then I don’t this attitude would be as prevalent (Unfortunately some moron still blame others for their problems and target those who are different), but he seems to have no problem with those who give Hispanic a bad name. It may have to do something with being in love but his fiancé is still breaking the law and he knows it. That makes him an accomplice to the crime.
Let’s take a look at the slightly modified statement and see how it stands up.

"I feel like the people's attitudes towards not only illegal immigrants but also Hispanics who protect them, has become very rude" in Arizona, Ledezma said.

The big debate is not about immigration it is about illegal immigration so it is only fair to add the first modification. I haven’t heard too many Hispanics speaking out against illegal immigration; in fact it has been the norm to defend it. So should the Hispanic community be viewed as accomplices also?

All of this is really getting away from the real problem. Individuals in Latin America would rather live illegal here in the US then legally in their home countries. As a country we can do 1 of 2 things, make our country not as attractive to outsiders or help make their home countries a better place to live. Since these are sovereign nation, our ability to affect their countries is limited. The direction Arizona is pursuing is of the latter nature.

The law is aimed at shutting off the job magnet by imposing harsh penalties on employers caught knowingly hiring unauthorized workers. Violators face a 10-day suspension of their business license for a first offense and could lose their license for a second offense.
Without employment possibilities, the attraction to live in Arizona diminishes. Will this have side effect, of course it will. One such would be an increase in the cost of living because wages will have to go up in order to attract replacement workers. Another could be a loss of businesses in Arizona because of the higher operation cost. It wouldn’t be limited to those since every action has unforeseen circumstances, but not all of them will be bad.

Will Arizona be better off without a large population of illegal immigrants, the current state government feels so and I happen to agree. When one form of illegal behavior is allowed, it makes it harder to enforce against others. The US needs immigrates, there is no doubt in my mind about that, but illegal immigrations is damaging in the long run. Why do I say that? Look back at Mr. Ledezma statement and the growing resentment he feels there is toward Hispanics. Many Hispanics are a great addition to the US but they will always be a point of resentment by others as long as Hispanics are the main source of illegal immigration. What hurts the US Hispanic community, hurts the US.

As with many topics, Captain Ed was there before me.