Reports are filtering in that the hard-hitting immigration law just signed into law is having a definite impact on communities in Arizona.
Accorrding to sources, in recent weeks there have been clear signs that Hispanics are in a state of panic, and already beginning to flee the border state.
Schools in Hispanic neighborhoods have noted that attendance has dropped dramatically.
In addition, businesses that normally serve the Latino community, have also confirmed that commerce is down.
Mainly, it's been a bad economy that has been the primary deterrent to many Hispanic immigrants seeking to enter Arizona, noted Jeffrey Passel, a demographer at the Pew Hispanic Center in Washington.
“If you have a bad economy and a hostile environment, then that’s likely to cause people to think twice about coming, and possibly even to leave,” Mr. Passel says.
Because there have been many illegals in Arizona, the new immigration law also poses a serious threat, which may account for the sudden flux in demographic trends.
"The economy is a far more powerful factor in immigration," says David Gutierrez, a professor of immigration history, at the University of California San Diego.
Arizona’s immigrant population has already been leveling off for two years now due to the recession, according to leading analysts in the field.
The Pew Hispanic Center reports a 40 to 45 percent drop in people coming to the US from Mexico, says Passel.
That’s supported by data on border apprehensions, which have dropped 25 percent for two years in a row, he adds.
Where are they going?
It’s more likely, they’re migrating within the US, says Gutierrez.
But, they may not go quietly.
At one web site that published a news report on this issue, a Latino posted the following stinging comment:
"Fu** you ! We were here first."
“It’s got to be an exceedingly difficult decision,” Gutierrez says.
“Once they return to Mexico, it’s much harder to come back. It’s much more likely we’re seeing internal migration.”
Most Hispanics who flee Arizona will join friends, family, or other Hispanic communities in California, Texas, New Mexico, and other states with large Hispanic populations.
Looks like California, Texax, and New Mexico - for starters - may have to pass their own versions of the Arizona Law, eh?
News at 11!
No comments:
Post a Comment