Arizona Immigration Law Pros and Cons List

The Arizona Immigration Law or SB 1070 is controversial. It has been around for more than half a decade and ever since its morality as well as legality has been put under intense scrutiny. It is a complex issue so let us understand the pros and cons first before succumbing to presumptions.

List of Pros of Arizona Immigration Law

1. Cross Border Menace.
Arizona has a long porous border with Mexico. It is one of the worst affected states in the country by cross border crimes. Illegal immigrants, human trafficking, drug peddling and violence are some of the many direct effects. There are places in Arizona that do not look like other communities in the United States. They look similar to the war ravaged small towns or cities in some parts of Mexico or the kind of images we get to see emerging from the Middle East. While cross border menace may not be completely extinguished, yet there will be some progress due to the law.

2. A Safer State.
Crime is never pardonable, be it among the criminals or committed by criminals against ordinary law abiding people. Even if it is a crime against an illegal immigrant, it is a crime. The state is vulnerable to all kinds of crime due to the influx of illegal immigrants and all kinds of criminals. This threatens the security of the state and the well being of citizens and legal residents in the country. The law makes way for a safer state.

3. Reduced Financial Burden.
Illegal immigrants are a financial burden which is borne by citizens and legal residents. The illegal immigrants and criminals don’t contribute anything to the state, the economy of the country or the society but they certainly exhaust the resources that are meant for citizens and legal residents. Worse, the cost is on the law abiding citizens. The Arizona immigration law attempts to reduce the financial burden.

4. Poorer Economy, Undesirable Job Market.
With more people willing to work at little money and without the enforcement of labor laws like minimum wage and benefits, the whole job market gets adversely affected. As a result, the economy of the state and by extension of the country suffers.

List of Cons of Arizona Immigration Law

1. Racial Profiling and Strained Resources.
Illegal immigrants can get racially profiled and even legal residents may be harassed when the law is enforced. Enforcing such a stringent law is time consuming, arduous and it takes a lot of resources. There could be discriminations as well.

2. Corruption and Ineffective Impact.
The ground reality has not changed much. This begs the question of the law has any impact of desired effect. There is corruption in the enforcement of the law, again putting the impact under suspicion.