"attention all passengers to el paso...your bus is now boarding"
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IT'S NEARLY MIDNIGHT IN DOWNTOWN PHOENIX. MEXICAN IMMIGRANTS....SOME LEGAL....SOME NOT...ARE HEADING FOR THE BORDER...ANY BORDER...OUTSIDE OF ARIZONA.
"please have your ticket in hand"
"every single day there's a new family with the same story"
THEY CAN'T FIND WORK...THANKS TO A NEW ARIZONA IMMIGRATION LAW...ONE OF THE TOUGHEST IN THE NATION.
"the number one lure for illegal aliens in this country is jobs"
SO ARIZONA LAWMAKER RUSSEL PEARCE WROTE A LAW SAYING IF A BUSINESS KNOWINGLY HIRES AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT...THEY WON'T SIMPLY BE FINED...THEY'LL BE SHUT DOWN.
"If you shut down the rides and turn off the lights the crowds will go home."
AND THEY ARE: ENTIRE APARTMENT BUILDINGS ARE EMPTY, STUDENTS ARE DISAPPEARING FROM SCHOOLS, STORES THAT CATERED TO HISPANIC FAMILIES...CLOSED.
Reporter Ben Tracy "you can also see it here at this work center in phoenix where they used to have more than 100 people a day looking for work. now its less than half that. but its not just the law, its also these protestors out here who are scaring away business."
"they call us racists for wanting our laws enforced. we're not against immigrants...legal immigrants"
"are you in the country legally? i don't want to answer that question"
BUT ITS A QUESTION STATES ARE ASKING BECAUSE FEDERAL IMMIGRATION REFORM FAILED. THESE 15 STATES ARE PROPOSING LAWS WITH PENALTIES FOR EMPLOYERS SIMILAR TO THE ONE IN ARIZONA.
What brings you all to Arizona.?
BUT JASON LEVECKE WHO OWNS MORE THAN 50 BURGER JOINTS IN ARIZONA SAYS THE NEW LAW IS AN ECONOMY KILLER...TURNING BUSINESS OWNERS INTO INS AGENTS.
"nobody is defending illegal immigration. We have to fix the problem but a state can't do it without destroying its economy"
LEVECKE HIRED TWO PEOPLE AND SPENT A HALF MILLION DOLLARS TO ENSURE HIS WORKERS ARE LEGAL
"do you want a combo meal?
AND HE'S PUT WRAPS ON PLANS TO OPEN 40 NEW STORES IN THE STATE...SAYING IT'S TOO RISKY.
"who's going to invest in a state where you can lose your business license?"
1 IN 10 WORKERS IN ARIZONA IS AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT. (AP) A RECENT STUDY SHOWED THE STATE'S ECONOMY WOULD TAKE AN 8% ANNUAL HIT IF THEY WERE REMOVED FROM THE LABOR FORCE. (U of AZ study)
"would you normally have more workers out here right now? Uh, we would, yes we would"
SHERIDAN BAILEY SAYS THE NEW LAW IS EVEN SCARING AWAY LEGAL IMMIGRANT WORKERS FROM HIS IRON FITTING BUSINESS.
"welding and sparks"
"we will wind up out-sourcing part of our fabrication work to Mexico where the people are able to work for us."
"bus station nats"
SO AS YET ANOTHER BUS HEADS OUT OF ARIZONA...
"its really sad everything that is going on"
THE QUESTION IS HOW TO MAKE THE LAW WORK WITHOUT SENDING THE STATE'S ECONOMY SOUTH. BEN TRACY CBS NEWS PHOENIX.
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