Some fear Arizona law will send migrants packing
A tough new employer sanctions law in Arizona has many undocumented immigrants contemplating something they once thought was unthinkable - returning to their home countries, activists say.
The law goes into effect in January and requires employers to verify the eligibility of workers through a federal database. They would face having their business licenses revoked after a second offense.
Since it was signed into law in July, undocumented immigrants have been wondering how they will be affected. They're asking Mexican Consulates to explain the law, calling Spanish-language radio stations for advice and keeping an eye on community newspapers.
Those who are considering going home say they're waiting until January to see whether their bosses will start asking them for papers.
"If I lose my job, we'll go back to Mexico," said 30-year-old Elias Velasquez, an undocumented immigrant who came to Arizona from Puebla with his family a year ago.
Velasquez, who works at a Phoenix grocery store, said he hasn't yet been asked to prove that he's in the country legally.
He said he wants to stay in Arizona to better support his wife, a 4-year-old son and a daughter on the way who, if she is born in the states, would be a U.S. citizen.
"I came here to get a job, to work," he said. "I'm afraid to go back. There's no money in Mexico."
Alfredo Gutierrez, a leader in the Hispanic community who also hosts a radio program in Spanish about immigration issues, said the seeds of panic have been sown among undocumented immigrants.
"There's a lot of fear that they have to prepare for the worst," he said.
"The concern is extreme. I don't have any doubts that for people who are thinking about leaving, this may be the last straw."
Gutierrez referred to a recent spate of anti-undocumented immigrant legislation in the state and an overall hostile atmosphere in Arizona. The state is the busiest undocumented entry point along the U.S.-Mexico border, and the Pew Hispanic Center has estimated that undocumented immigrants account for one in 10 workers in Arizona.
Activists plugged into the immigrant community say they haven't yet heard of anyone leaving Arizona because of the employer sanctions law but that it's certainly possible. And as January nears, they say it becomes more likely.
Arizona isn't the only place in the country where undocumented immigrants are scared about crackdowns. In Panama City Beach, Fla., some undocumented immigrants have been leaving since sheriff's deputies there started pulling up to constructions sites in force to see who would run.
The Sheriff's Department says it has conducted dozens of such raids and reported more than 500 people to immigration officials since November.
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