For weeks now the media have been filled with stories about reaction to Arizona’s new anti-immigrant law. The law not only allows local police to ask for the papers of anyone they suspect may be in this country illegally, but requires them to do so.
There have been calls for a boycott of Arizona tourism and the makers of Arizona iced tea found it necessary to make it known that their company is in Woodbury, N.Y.
But little or no attention has been paid to the fact the law also targets employers who pick up immigrant day laborers on the side of roads. Employers can be fined and lose their trucks, vans and license to run a business if it can be shown they “knew or should have known” the people they were picking up are in this country illegally.
The law also has language allowing police to pull over one of these trucks if they are interfering with traffic. Should such a law ever be enacted in New York state, it would have a chilling effect on the city’s commerce. Landscapers who maintain Queens properties rely on day laborers. Some of these companies have contracts to help maintain city parks. They should not act as Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
Making life harder for the men, women and children who cross the border illegally to flee poverty, hunger and repression will not stop the flood of immigrants into the city but may drive them further underground. Children will be kept out of school and sick immigrants will not seek health care until they are near death.
Better fencing along the border would not help much. Meanwhile, in this city ICE has all it can do to identify gang members, drug dealers and sex offenders among illegal immigrants. Their facilities are full and immigration courts are crowded.
Ironically, the real criminals — the ones who come to this country to sell drugs or guns and engage in criminal activity — have no problem buying fake documents.
We agree with Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who trashed the Arizona law last week: “This is not good for the country. We have to get real about the 12 million undocumented here. We’re not going to deport them. Give them permanent status … and let’s get on with this.”
