by Jonathan Higuera
Arizona’s tough new employer sanctions law is leading some residents to leave the state but it may also be forcing some employers to relocate operations to Mexico.
Scattered media reports are finding evidence of both.
The law is designed to discourage hiring of undocumented immigrants by suspending or revoking business licenses of employers caught hiring them.
“It’s certainly not what we need right now,” said Roberto Reveles, past president of Somos América, a coalition of immigrant rights groups. “It’s hurting the state’s economy.”
On Jan. 9, a federal judge said he would make a decision on court challenges to the law by early February.
U.S. District Court Judge Neil Wake also signed on to an agreement by both parties that no employer be prosecuted until after March 1.
So far, the law, which took effect Jan. 1, appears to have generated only a handful of complaints against employers around the state, perhaps because many county attorneys said they would not accept anonymous tips.
One exception is Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas. He has declined to release a figure as to how many complaints his office has received.
The law requires employers to use a program called E-Verify to check the hiring status of all new workers.
The computer program screens each worker by using his or her Social Security number against a Department of Homeland Security database. Those caught twice “knowingly” hiring unauthorized workers could have their business licenses permanently revoked.
Attorneys challenging the law argue it does not allow employers a chance to challenge “non-confi rmation” letters they may receive from the E-Verify process.
