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Thousands of Hispanics are leaving the state of Arizona in anticipation of a draconian new immigration law that will be implemented several weeks from now. The immigration law that has sparked nationwide outrage, seems to have caused panic not just among non-legal immigrants in the state, but also among legal immigrants.
The exodus is clear to see from drops in enrollment rates in schools, as Hispanics panic and take their children out of schools and out of the state. The interesting part is that it's not just those who don't have their papers in order who are leaving the state, but also legal immigrants who fear that the immigration law will create a hostile environment for them. The University of Arizona has said that it has seen a drop in students who are now headed to universities in other states, because of what they believe will be a less-than-friendly immigration climate in Arizona. Businesses that cater to the Hispanic market have also reported a drop in numbers.
On April 23, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed the law that requires police officers to stop persons to determine their immigration status, if there is reason to believe that they are illegal immigrants. Under the law, immigrants are required to have their identification papers on their person at all times.
It caused a nationwide outcry, and plenty of noise was generated from people calling for a boycott of Arizona. It’s clear from the exodus that Hispanics in Arizona are not sticking around to find out exactly how badly this law will treat them.
The New Jersey immigration lawyers at Helmer, Conley and Kasselman represent clients in immigration, naturalization, green card, asylum and deportation issues.
