Arizona has rarely invoked its last tough immigration law against knowingly hiring illegal immigrant

[Shallah Kali]

Arizona has rarely invoked its last tough immigration law
Most counties haven't prosecuted anyone under a 2007 act that bans knowingly hiring illegal immigrants. Some say that's because businesses are complying.
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/apr/19/nation/la-na-employer-sanctions19-2010apr19

Officials from 12 of the state's 15 counties said last week that they had not taken legal action against any businesses for failure to comply with the law. Officials in two counties -- Apache and Coconino -- could not be reached for comment.

Proponents of Arizona's tough laws against illegal immigrants say the lack of prosecutions is a sign of the law's success in deterring border crossers. Critics of the measure, which went into effect in 2008, say the law has only pushed illegal immigrants deeper underground in the workforce.

snip

Before the newest anti-illegal-immigrant law was enacted, one county stood out in its effort to enforce the Legal Arizona Workers Act.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former County Atty. Andrew Thomas have boasted about their strict enforcement. After dozens of raids, complaints have been brought against three businesses. A sandwich shop was ordered to close for two days. A Phoenix water park was found to have violated the law, but it went out of business before the case was settled. A third case involving a furniture manufacturing company is still working its way through the court system.

If they *really* didn't want illegal immigrants around why don't they go after companies who hire many illegals instead of questioning every person with non-citizen looking shoes :crazy: one by one by one by one???

Now if they want to build their tough on crime/I will protect you from scary non-white people cred while letting companies exploit workers who don't dare fight for a decent wage and humane working conditions the Papers Please law is the perfect thing for politicians to do.

[theoldman]

1. The reason the employers are never prosecuted is because the

illegal immigrants are good for the economy. As always, follow the money.

[Andy823]

2. Thats easy

Many who do hire illegals to work large farms, orchards, construction, etc. have a lot of clout in the community, so they get away with it. The people complain, so the locals law enforcement go after the "illegals" instead of those who hire them. That has gone on around my area for years and years, that is until last year when ICE, for the first time, came in and went to the one of the biggest employers of "illegals" in our county, and in the state. They went through their records and came up with around 800 people who were not legal. They told the company they had to let those people go, and that they would be back to check on them some time in the future. Always before it was the border patrol coming in and rounding up workers, but never going after the employers!

I worked in the orchard business for many years and since 1985 when the last "amnesty" came about, it has gotten worse! Employers knew they would not see any enforcement against them, and they have pretty much gone to hiring illegals for the field work, driving tractors, hauling the fruit, and working in the packing sheds. They used to pay for some vacation time, benefits for some of the management positions in the sheds and orchards, but now very few see any benefits, and most of the locals who used to work in the orchards have been replaced by illegals who will work for less money and no benefits. The employers are the big problem, and the don't want any reform because if there really are new laws passed, and "ENFORCED" they will have to pay more money, provide housing, transportation to and from work, and they won't be able to abuse the system by hiring illegals! The same goes for all other jobs that are hiring illegals and laying off legal workers so they can make larger profits by paying less money. Most of the employers don't care about the high unemployment rates, they just care about pay as little as they can for labor and not having to pay any benefits.

I have no problem with employers in my area bringing in help during harvest, or whenever they need it, but there are programs they can use right now, but they don't, to bring in temporary workers. The won't use them because they have to follow a set of "rules" provide housing, and pay a set wage. They like to hire the illegals instead and pay them less and charge them for housing and transportation! We need "REAL" immigration reform, and enforcement of the laws for both the workers and the employers. There would be no illegal work force if there were no employers who wold hire them! Those who do want to come here and work would have to do so through a legal process that included background checks, obeying laws and doing so for a set time period then if they wanted they could apply for citizenship!