March 21, 2011 - 2:35pm
Looks like Arizona legislators are finally coming to their senses, and hopefully legislators around the country can reach the same conclusions: harsh anti-immigrant laws (like the AZ racial profiling law) are bad for business, which is bad for everyone.
Last week, Arizona lawmakers rejected new anti-immigrant laws after business leaders spoke up about the economic impact of making immigrants feel unwelcome.
“Opponents of the five bills said that the state’s image had been hit hard, and that it did not make sense to pass new measures while the state had already put itself so far out in front of other states and the federal government on the issue — at a cost to tourism and other industries.
They said that previous immigration bills were still being reviewed by the courts, and that it was not smart to pass new legislation that plainly conflicted with the 14th Amendment of the Constitution.”
A few weeks ago, Maine business leaders stood up for sane immigration policies. You can read about their common sense suggestions here. In the coming months, Maine legislators will vote on bills similar to Arizona's laws. Hopefully they will make decisions that both honor our welcoming history and make sense for Maine businesses.
