Aug 26 2011
The New Immigration Law – SB 1070
When I listen to the controversy about undocumented immigrants, and particularly the debate about the brand new immigration law in Arizona, it is clear in my experience that most Americans don’t know what they are talking about. I am a legal immigrant and have first hand experience how challenging it is to get lawful immigrant status here in the U.S. I had to spend seven years to get my permanent documents (Green Card) even though I had been paying high taxes for that entire period. In fact I was contributing more every year to the U.S. economy than 95% of all American citizens.
When it comes to Arizona’s SB1070 it s extremely clear to me that very few people have actually read the legislation. When they did, they might be surprised. There are two main parts to the legislation (that is actually an modification to an existing law adopted in 07) firstly the undocumented immigrants and secondly the actual employers who hire them.
The new regulation is going to cost the actual Arizona taxpayer a pretty penny. Currently, when the authorities “capture” an undocumented immigrant they are immediately deported back to their own country of origin (normally a prison bus back to Mexico). Under the new law they will be put in prison and given their day in court. If they have no money they’ll probably be given a public defender and if found guilty will be ordered to pay a fine of $500. They will most likely not pay this, as they will be deported anyway. This could turn out to be a costly process, which will have to be covered by the legal resident Arizona taxpayers.
