Arizona's Anti-Immigrant Law Will Spark Hispanic Exodus
Andres Oppenheimer
HOME > WORLD > LATIN AMERICA
Now that
But it won't be an exodus back to
According to a bill passed by the
In effect, the law would unleash an indiscriminate hunt for undocumented immigrants. Its victims could include U.S. citizens who happen to be brown-skinned or prefer to speak Spanish.
There are five major reasons why this Nazi-era-reminiscent legislation should be stopped in
First, it won't stop undocumented immigrants from coming to
Barring a greater economic integration that could benefit both
Second, it will not make
CONSEQUENCES PILE UP
The current
But the
Third, it will hurt
In addition, a flight of many of the estimated 470,000 undocumented Latinos from
If Latinos leave, "they will take their tax dollars, businesses and purchasing power with them." These are higher than the cost of state services they use, the Immigration Policy Center advocacy group says.
Fourth, if more U.S. states follow
Fifth, and perhaps most important, the law is morally wrong and profoundly un-American.
A FEDERAL SOLUTION
My opinion:
Otherwise, headline-seeking local politicians in other states will seek to fill the vacuum with similarly xenophobic laws, with not much more effect than producing a big Hispanic exodus -- within
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