Arizona's Immigration Reforms Lead to the Immigration-Law Exodus
The Senate Bill 1070 is slowly achieving its goal of "attrition through enforcement" even before coming into action. Undocumented families in Arizona are fleeing the state fearing criminal punishment. The recent immigration reforms in Arizona have led to the immigration-law exodus. Many illegal immigrants are relocating to Mexico and other parts of the United States, while others prefer to stay back until the law comes into force.
Arizona's new immigration reform is simply a measure of shifting its internal issues to other parts of the United States. Only a broad immigration reform that handles the border breakdown problems could be an efficient solution to the current scenario.
The U.S. Rep. Ed Pastor, D-Ariz., senior member of the state's U.S. House delegation, fears that immigration reforms from fifty other states could become a common scenario if the President does not act immediately. This he said on quoting Sen. Russell Pearce on his comments about the Arizona Immigration Law. Sen. Russell Pearce said that the pressure would be on the President, if all other states started passing their own immigration laws.
According to a section of the Arizona Immigration Law, it is a criminal offense to live in the state without legal documents. The law officials can interrogate whoever they suspect as illegal immigrants. Though there are a few who wait for favorable amendments in the law, an exodus of immigrants are forced to escape the state fearing criminal punishment.
The immigration reform taken up by the Arizona government is an extreme measure that has sure become a national concern. Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America's Voice, expressed his views on the Arizona Immigration Law by stating that the law will horrify all the illegal immigrants and drive them out of the state, resulting in an American-style ethnic cleansing.
