Robert Robb / Arizona Republic What drives anti-illegal immigration sentiment in Arizona
Immigration restrictionists are guilty of imprecision and, too frequently, gross overstatement. Their opponents, however, are guilty of not truly understanding public sentiment on this issue, particularly in Arizona. The rallying cry among restrictionists these days is, “secure the border.” The previous mantra, “enforcement first,” was more precise and made more sense. Since about half of illegal immigration results from visa overstays, securing the border is only part of the solution, and the less important part. The most important part is locking illegal immigrants out of the formal economy, shriveling up the job magnet. The U.S. has the ability to do that, right now. It would require two things. First, a requirement that all employers use the e-verify system, accessing the federal government's electronic database to ensure that workers are legal. Contrary to claims by those who want to maintain a steady supply of underpaid workers, the e-verify system works extremely well. The only way around it is for an illegal worker to use the real name and social security number of a legal worker. That's a serious crime, identity theft, and should be treated as such. And in virtually all cases, Social Security knows when there are duplicate or suspicious accounts. So, the second requirement is that Social Security turn over such situations to law enforcement and _immigration services_ (http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/RobertRobb/90551#) for follow-up. Regretfully, the restrictionist movement is excessively focused on the border and not enough on the workplace, where the real fence could be erected. And the rhetorical fusillade is all about border violence associated with the drug cartels. This has led to an unproductive retort by immigration rights groups, whose principal interest is in obtaining legal status for those currently in the country illegally, disputing that violence is rising and the relationship between immigration and serious crime. And it has led to misdirection by Democratic politicians, trying to neutralize immigration as an issue. Proposals such as Arizona's _new immigration law_ (http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/RobertRobb/90551#) , SB 1070, don't really do anything about securing the border or crime, they proclaim. Instead the focus should be on breaking the grip of the drug cartels directly. Those who live and work along the border report a significant difference beginning about a decade ago, as drug cartels started taking over the human smuggling business. I heard one person describe it this way: When coyotes were primarily free-lancers, they ran when you encountered them. With the drug cartels, you run. That's a qualitative difference in the sense of security that no numbers can capture or refute. While the rhetoric is about border violence, that's only part of what is driving anti-illegal immigration sentiment in Arizona. Within the state electorate, there is clearly a decisive majority that simply feels that Arizona has too many illegal immigrants. There's a sense that illegal immigrants cost more in public services than they contribute in tax revenues and that they depress the wages of native workers. Economists debate these effects endlessly. But in their gut, a majority of Arizonans feel that illegal immigration is a net drain. And then there is cultural discomfort. Some of this has origins in racial hostility. But there is also, particularly in lower middle-class areas, a lost sense of place and familiarity. At one point in time, illegal immigrants were estimated to be 9 percent of Arizona's population and 12 percent of its workforce. Most legal Arizonans think that's just too many. That's why voters don't actually judge things like the employer sanctions law or SB 1070 on whether they secure the border or even if they produce direct results, such as busting employers or arresting illegal immigrants. Voters support them in the hope and belief that they will result in fewer illegal immigrants in Arizona. And in that sense, they appear to be working. Voters in Arizona don't just want their state and local officials to protect them against immigration-related crime. They want their state and local officials to do what they can to reduce the incidence of illegal immigration in the state. Until the “comprehensive immigration reform” crowd accepts that, they will continue to be just shouting into the wind. -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org
