The Controversial Arizona Immigration Law Drives Exodus to other States
The controversial Arizona Immigration Law is responsible for driving out an exodus of undocumented families, in fear of criminal punishment. Many of the illegal immigrants are moving to other parts of the United States, while a few others are even returning back to Mexico.
The alleged Senate Bill 1070 has started fulfilling its goal of “attrition through enforcement” though it has not come into force yet. Many policy makers see the Arizona Immigration Law merely as a measure of distributing Arizona’s problems to other states. One solution to this problem would be to create a broader immigration reform that tackles the border breakdown issue as well.
While expressing his concerns over the immigration-law exodus, the U.S. Rep. Ed Pastor, D-Ariz., senior member of the state’s U.S. House delegation, stated that the President of the United States should immediately step into action, else there would be similar immigration reforms from every state of the United States. He expressed this on quoting the comments by Sen. Russell Pearce who stated that when other states begin passing their own immigration reforms, the President would be under immense pressure.
According to the Arizona Immigration Law, it is a criminal offense to be an undocumented immigrant in the country. It also entitles law officials to question whoever they suspect as illegal residents. This section of the law has raised alarms among many families, eventually leading them to flee the state. There are also a few others who wait for favorable amendments to be made in the law.
Many feel that this immigration reform by Arizona is an extreme measure taken up by the Arizona State Government.
Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice, fears that the Arizona Immigration Law might become the American style ethnic cleansing that will terrorize all undocumented family members and drive them out of the state.