Alabama immigration crackdown costs state up to $11 bln: study

[alp227]

(Reuters) - Alabama's crackdown on illegal immigrants, widely seen as the toughest in the United States, has cost the state's economy up to $10.8 billion, according to a new study.

The Alabama law, passed in June, requires police to detain people they suspect of being in the U.S. illegally if they cannot produce proper documentation when stopped for any reason, among other measures.

The cost-benefit analysis by University of Alabama economist Samuel Addy estimated up to 80,000 jobs were vacated by illegal immigrants fleeing the crackdown, costing Alabama's economy up to $10.8 billion.

The lost jobs also cost Alabama up to $264.5 million in lost state sales and income taxes, and as much as $93.1 million in lost city and county sales taxes, it found.

full: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/01/us-alabama-immigration-economy-idUSTRE8101JJ20120201

[Old and In the Way]

1. This is what happens when ideology trumps common sense.

The law of unintended consequences will be getting a massive workout with the kind of laws many far right state legislatures are enacting.

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. I need a bumper sticker

that says
"don't blame me, I wasn't born here"

[DFW]

4. That's not a great idea for Alabama

It will get you arrested every time some right wing cop sees it, and Alabama has their share.

I've been there, and been stopped by an Alabama cop. Felt like I was trying out for a part in "My Cousin Vinnie."

[EFerrari]

7. LOL

[dixiegrrrrl]

10. The ONLY time I was ever stopped by a cop was for a bumper sticker

(knock on wood, never been stopped, never had a ticket, never had an accident.)

but, in Washington state, in a medium size blue collar town, in 1970, I had a bumper sticker that said "Make Love Not War"
and the local town cop pulled me over, threatening to take me to jail for "obscene bumper sticker".
I was SO hoping he would, actually, being of the fiery anti-war nature I was..
but, it helped, I guess, that my 2 brothers were on the force and that I was young and cute and wearing a mini-skirt,
because after all his bluff and bluster and lots of oogling at my legs, he swaggered off.
Later one of my brothers told me he was known far and wide as The Asshole.

down here, you are so much more likely to be stopped if you have out of state plates.
Or look "foreign", now.

[lunasun]

3. yet they always sell a govnmt that will cost you less......

from the article

...driving out undocumented workers and their families, and save up to $280 million they said is spent by the state each year on health and education services for the undocumented. ..... So it COST the state 10 billion+ at one years end to to save what?
280 million??? did I read that right ....hmmm
..I dont know how that state can afford the Hate they love so much if I did

[SoapBox]

5. ...no cost is too much cost and it justifys the end. Period.

These suicidal-death-wish GOPbaggers don't care.

The entire WORLD could implode, like a cheat sci-fi movie...and they would not care.

Wake up America and realize this.

[pampango]

9. Exactly. Teabag haters love to hate more than they love to make money.

OTOH, the corporate wing of the gop loves to make money more than they love to hate, so changes to Alabama's immigration law will be coming up this year in the state legislature. It will be interesting to watch the haters go up against the corporates when this happens.

[DeSwiss]

6. In other news.......

....''Study Links Low I.Q. to Prejudice, Racism and Conservatism''

- Duh......

K&R

[EFerrari]

8. And the wingnuts who cynically introduced this policy knew damn well

going in that it would cost the state money, just as similar policy has everywhere it has been introduced. These people are simply evil, that's no other way to rationalize it.

[sudopod]

11. Should have kept the immigrants and started their own space program.

They have Huntsville, after all.