Arizona SB 1070 Already Proving ‘Attrition Through Enforcement’ Works

Contrary to the claims of the pro-amnesty forces that “you can’t deport 12 million people” (or however many illegal aliens there are), Arizona is already proving that ‘attrition through enforcement’ is working.  ‘Attrition through enforcement’ is based on the concept that the harder you make it for people to break the law, the fewer people will break the law.  The harder you make it for foreign nationals to illegally work, reside, and collect welfare for themselves and their families in this country, the less likely they will do so.

The success of Arizona’s SB 1070 law is coming even before the law is put into place, as illegal aliens flee the state.  Some are returning home to Mexico, others are going to neighboring states; others are traveling across the country to more liberal states in the northeastern part of the country.  One illegal alien from Mexico who was willing to give her name to a newspaper (try that for any other legal violation), Wendi Villasenor, said "Everyone is selling up the little they have and leaving, we have no alternative. They have us cornered.”  She’s headed for Pennsylvania, which has a 9.2% unemployment rate as soon as she finishes her yard sale and packs up.

Two other families consisting of a mix of illegal and legal aliens were headed to New Mexico, which has an 8.5% unemployment rate.  One illegal alien from Mexico, Gabriela Jaquez, complained that the SB 1070 law now makes it a state crime to transport illegal aliens.  A person claiming to be a legal alien from Mexico, Lunaly Bustillos, said that the law made her “sad and angry,” complaining “I feel I have the right to be here."  However, anyone with a legal right to be in the country has nothing to fear from the SB 1070 law, as it only targets illegal aliens.

A previous law passed three years ago requiring employers to use the ‘e-verify’ system established by Congress to verify the legality of workers hired by companies resulted in about 100,000 illegal aliens leaving the state.  Polls continue show the law is backed by a large majority of Americans, including 2/3 of Arizonans.  Attrition through enforcement may become more attractive to states like Pennsylvania and New Mexico in the near future as more illegal aliens relocate there.