Employer Sanctions: Tracking the Economic Impact

By Jonathan Higuera
February 15, 2008 10:49 AM

As the immigration debate continues, reporters cover new regional legislation and economic trends in the context of national interest.

The media coverage of late has focused on the effects of Arizona’s employer sanctions legislation, which became law Jan. 1 but won’t be enforced until March 1. It can lead to fines and suspension of business licenses for those found guilty of knowingly hiring unauthorized workers the first time they are caught. Repeat offenders could have their business licenses revoked.

The New York Times recently weighed in with a piece by reporter Randal C. Archibold, which cited signs that Latino immigrants are fleeing the state in response to the new sanctions law and a weakening economy.

Archibold said the Arizona law is on The Times’ radar in part because other states are contemplating similar laws.

“We always ask ‘is it of national interest? Would someone outside the region be interested in it?’ Many states are following it, and some have similar laws cooking.”

The next phase of reporting on the story could come from the courts, where the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals will be ruling on the legislation.

“Their ruling will be very instructive,” Archibold said, noting how it could end up before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Another possible storyline will be tracking ballot initiatives both opponents and proponents of the sanctions law are attempting to get on the state ballot.

“One would make it tougher. The other, which has the support of the business community, would soften it somewhat,” he said.

In his story, Archibold quoted a source representing the apartment and rental housing industry as saying even citizens and legal immigrants may be among those moving if someone in their family or social network is not here legally and is having a hard time finding a job.

As part of the evidence, Archibold cited dropping enrollment figures in several school districts with high Latino student populations and an uptick in the regional apartment vacancy rate in the fourth quarter of 2007.

The Wall Street Journal’s A1 story written by Miriam Jordan and published on Feb. 1 focused more on how the state has become a “laboratory on new ways to crack down on illegal immigrants.” The piece also examined the forces driving polarization on the issue, including hardball round-ups of illegal immigrants by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and hard-line rhetoric from State Legislator Russell Pearce.

“In the face of federal government inaction, Arizona has become a laboratory for how to deal with illegal immigration,” she quoted Janet Napolitano, the state’s governor, as saying.

It’s a laboratory worth watching and covering as the country’s immigration debate continues.

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Copyright © 2008 Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism