Arizona's "Papers, please" anti-immigrant law is showing signs of unintended consequences even before it goes into effect.
"We are getting to see more empty houses as the Mexican population is starting to leave. Not all of course, but quite a lot. I see it here in Surprise," Sylvia Rivera tells Patchwork Nation.
It turns out that immigrants rent a lot of houses in Arizona. Without that money, landlords say they're losing more homes to foreclosure. One of the three light pink Arizona counties on the foreclosure map above is considered by Patchwork Nation as part of "Immigration Nation."
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Everyone talks a great game about how immigrants are eating up tax dollars through social services, emergency medical care, and how they drive up crime rate. What they don't talk about is that most jobs aren't under the table and they pay payroll taxes just like eveyone else, they use services and buy groceries and pay sales tax, just like overyone else. They pay rent and the taxes on that just like eveyone else. And, as we discovered in Tulsa when we had passed anti-immigrant laws...several thousand people leaving a city...no longer paying rent, using services, buying groceries, paying sales tax - however much you are saving in social services, you are paying for everywhere else.
Congratulations Arizona, on so successfully accomplishing your goal of driving out immigrants. I don't doubt that the communities the relocate themselves to will enjoy the extra rent they pay, the services they use, the groceries they buy, the sales taxes they pay. Enjoy your success!
you're exactly right, the common propagated belief is immigrants are a drain on the economy and society when in fact they improve it. arizona is ignorantly committing financial suicide. maybe we should just let them reap what they sew.
I don't agree - illegals should not be here and should not receive any services. They take jobs we need with unemployment at 10%+ and we don't need all the visa workers either. I have well-educated friends who lost their jobs in the tech sector when IBM laid them off and hired in H1B workers at a very reduced salary.
My grandparents came here legally - let others do the same. The first lesson of citizenship is - obey the law.
You must be one of those antagonistic know-it-alls who call everyone an idiot while policing spelling and grammer. Tea baggers are not usually defenders of immigrants like help is on the way.
Depends upon your "loose" definition of payroll taxes. A large majority of illegals DO NOT have a ITIN (Individual Tax Identification Number) and thus are not paying federal taxes to the extent of US citizens.
Interesting. Please link the statistics showing the re-appropriation of funds. This could be worth reading.
The illegals are political scapegoats in these elections. When the economy is this bad many are easily manipulated in directing their anger and many campaigns take advantage of that. The election results represent that. Fortunately Nevada's Angle lost on that strategy.
Arizona will be a perfect test case on what happens when the illegals leave. I do not think it will have any positive impact, but no argument is necessary now, we can just watch and see. I am quite sure that those who are in bad financial situations will see that their situation is no better when the illegals are gone. It was the big banks on wall street that caused this recession and the job outsourcing is the main contributor to our job losses, not the illegals.
I live in Tucson and am very discouraged at the way things are going here. It's really a drag to see so many people adopt the "I got mine, now you get out of here" attitude against Mexicans. I have always felt (in the 25 years I've lived here) quite proud of Arizona having such a mixed culture, now they want to tear it all apart. Many of the Mexican familes in Tucson have been here for a hundred years or more, to see them being treated like "illegals" is a crying shame.
We have so many people who come here from Mexico to do business, and they add a lot to our economy. I guess Ms. Brewer never thought about that one. And I've seen Conservatives who have hired illegals to do their yardwork or paint their houses, then pass them around to all their friends to get as much work as they could out of them before sending them on their way. While I'm sure that worker was glad to be getting paid, I know they couldn't have been paid well, and they were just being used by the people who are screaming about them now. Such hypocrisy is painfully common here.
My own father was from Europe, and he was never a citizen of the US -- the best he had was resident alien status, yet I don't think he would have been pulled over to check his papers, nor would I. But they say they're not profiling. It's really insane.
This is one crazy place to live, and one sorry situation all around.
I just hope it doesn't spread. Here in Oklahoma we have a tea party candidate who wants to institute an anti-federalist state funded militia...if he gets elected than an Az SB1070-style bill would almost seem reasonable. If people are stupid enough to sign on to anything as wrong headed as 1070, or state militias, then they deserve what they get.
But it really doesn't seem fair that the more reasonable and rational members of those societies should be forced to pay for the dumbasses' wrongheadedness. If worst comes to worst and though it may involve taking a massive loss, you can always vote with your feet. If Brogdon gets elected here in Oklahoma, we are moving.
anyone who rents to illegals should be jailed for aiding and abetting illegal activity
We are all GODs children! We are all human beings! Why not live in peace? Hate only brings more suffering. Do you not believe in him who made you? Why not work together instead of hating people. People around the world have so much anger it spews like the oil spill in the gulf non-stop. Your only hurting yourselves in the end! To hate another person is to hate yourself. Please Lord Jesus forgive these people, I pray they find love in there hearts! Right now we ALL must learn to turn the other cheek as Christ teaches us.
We live very scary times and I believe it is going to become scarier and scarier. When did all the reasonable people disappear? John McCain could again become a hero if he would take on this immigration stance in Arizona and would denounce the right wing traitors who are on the airwaves, but alas he wants to keep his seat in the senate so he has become a cranky old man who will only be remembered for exposing us to Sister Sarah.
We need to obey the law and the law says come in legally. That's the end of it or we have chaos with every economically disadvantage group pouring over our borders and undermining the hard fought for and now nearly lost gains the labor movement made for workers. These people, including work visa groups, undercut American wages, work in poor conditions that the labor unions fought long and hard to stop and threaten the basis of our economy. They came here or overstayed visas and are braking the law as are their employers. The only people benefiting form this inflow of cheap labor are the business owners who rake in larger profits from cheap labor.
Yes, We Americans are so stupid. They tried that stupid mess here in Georgia but it was done right. They went after the employer and workers. It worked so good some of the small town went under because of all the missing taxes from the sells of goods and home owner lost homes because of the missing rent money. Georgia eased up on that law because they run over to SC and AL where the busness owners hired them in their plants.
I think Georgia tried to do it right unlike the racist State of Arizona. If you fine or arrest the employers they will not hire them. Did anybody question the way Georgia was taking care of the problem? No.
Ah Christ! I've been been reading the Grapes of Wrath. Its an education. What happened in the story is happening now in Az. Its what's happening in the Gulf with the fishermen. Its all just terrible.