Arizona: The Undocumented Are Leaving

Arizona has gained most attention on the issue of the undocumented -- at once the most traveled route for illegal entry and the most draconian in measures to stem the tide. Its get-tough approach seems to be working -- many immigrants are leaving of planning to leave the state. Still it is not without collateral damage to legal aliens and naturalized citizens. The new work restrictions, for example, depend on the faulty E-Verify system of the Social Security Administration, which sometimes lists naturalized citizens as undocumented. Also the aggressive policing of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio amounts, according to Hispanics, to racial profiling. Now the state legislature is thinking of mandating all police to cooperate with ICE. It's no wonder immigrants are fleeing the state. (See LA Times article.)