Hamer's statement is backed up by a recent study by the University of Arizona's Udall Center that concluded that economic output would drop 8.2% annually if noncitizen foreign-born workers were removed from the labor force. Two-thirds of Arizona's foreign-born workforce is estimated to be working in the state without legal authorization.

Hamer also warns that about the legal costs of being investigated and prosecuted "based on claims with little or no merit could be substantial. This could lead to fishing expeditions and will burden county attorneys from other priorities like investigating murder, rape, child molestation."?

Judith Gans, the author of the University of Arizona study, told the Wall Street Journal that, "Getting rid of these workers means we are deciding as a matter of policy to shrink our economy. They're filling vital gaps in our labor force."

Ironically, the shortage of workers in Arizona has helped drive at least one company to outsource work to Mexico.  Sheridan Bailey, the president of steel-beam manufacturer Ironco, has he's signed a deal to outsource some of his business' production to a Mexican company in order to cope with Arizona's now tight labor market.  Bailey told the Wall Street Journal that, "This law has the potential of sinking a business."  

HB 2779 may also stall business growth. Arizona's biggest franchisee and grandson of the founder of Carl's Jr. fast-food restaurants, Jason Levecke, has put on hold plans to open 20 more outlets statewide, stating that, "That's $30 million that could blow up in my face. The risk is too great."

A farmer interviewed by the New York Times, Michael Francis, says that he's requested and filed documentation showing that his 150 employees are eligible to work, but even so, some have left and he's having difficulty filling the jobs. "The people from the office buildings in Phoenix are not going to swarm the countryside to clip onions," Mr. Francis said. "There are just not a lot of people knocking on the door to do this kind of work."

Even documented immigrants fear the new law.  Phoenix Restaurant owner Dora Cardenas says she's lost half of her 12 employees as they left for other states.  Her business caters mostly to other Latinos and she reports it being down nearly 40% since the summer. 

The Udall Center study cited in the Wall Street Journal, Immigrants in Arizona: Fiscal and Economic Impacts, found that the fiscal cost of immigrants to Arizona in 2004 was an estimated $1.4 billion.  However, tax revenues attributable to immigrants as workers were approximately $2.4 billion.  The net fiscal gain for Arizona then is approximately $940 million.  These numbers don't distinguish between documented and undocumented workers, but then there are reports that immigrants authorized to work are leaving Arizona due to fear and discrimination arising from HB 2779.

Eye on Anti-Immigrant Legislation

As some state legislatures accept pre-filed bills in advance of the coming 2008 session, anti-immigrant legislation are hardly absent.  Here are just a few examples of state anti-immigrant policies in the heartland to keep your eye on.

In Oklahoma, House Speaker Lance Cargill said last week that further immigration reform will be on the House Republican leadership's agenda for next session, despite the recent passage of HB 1804, which eliminates undocumented aliens' ability to get official government identification cards and prevents undocumented immigrants from obtaining public benefits or assistance other than what is required by federal law.

HB 1804's sponsor, Rep. Randy Terrilll (R), intends in the upcoming session to introduce legislation he's calling the "Son of 1804" to make provisions against undocumented immigrants even more stringent.  Fortunately Rep. Terrill hasn't dominated the Oklahoma's immigration debate.  Moved by a "moral obligation to say loud and clear this is hurting our state," fellow Republican Sen. Harry Coates -- the only member of his party not to vote for HB 1804 -- has filed legislation, Senate Bill 1143, to repeal sections of HB 1804 that deal with harboring and transporting illegal immigrants. Sen. Coates also said he will file a bill to remove some of HB 1804's restrictions for employers who pay at least twice the minimum wage and still cannot find workers to fill positions.  He's also planning to file legislation to make sure that no one is denied prenatal care.  Rep. Shane Jett (D), too, isn't taking HB 1804 lying down.  Rep. Jett reports that he's planning to file legislation that would create a pilot program that would allow workers to purchase a tax number identification card that would serve as an affidavit document of good-faith intent and effort to comply with Oklahoma state law.  This would allow those who wish to continue working in Oklahoma, and money from the tax ID cards would be used to pay for any public services used by undocumented immigrants.

Kansas state lawmakers are drafting legislation that would penalize those who employ illegal immigrants.  Immigrants last week gathered for a vigil across southwest Kansas to protest what they say is growing sentiment against immigrants. Garden City, Kansas recently passed an ordinance that increases penalties for driving without a license. To get a driver's license in Kansas requires proof that the person is in the country legally. Similar ordinances have been discussed in Dodge City and Liberal.