Arizona immigration law costing the state millions

Angela Maria Kelley of the Center for American Progress said Arizona’s immigration law, which was passed in April, is having a major financial impact on the state. In a study conducted by Elliott D. Pollack & Co. for the Center, Kelley said the law has caused a decrease in the conferences and conventions in the state. She said that $217 million has been lost in direct spending by conference attendees who are not there.

 

USA Today reports that the cancelled conferences have resulted in the loss of more than 2,700 jobs. This translates into $86.5 million in lost wages for state workers along with $10 million in tax revenue.

Kelley said 25 states are considering similar laws. She advised lawmakers in states that rely heavily on conferences and conventions, including Florida, Texas and Colorado, to carefully consider the impact the law could have on the economy.

 

“An Arizona-like law will only result in reduced revenue, reduced spending, fewer jobs, fewer taxes being paid,” Kelley said.

 

The newspaper reports that advocates of the law say the losses are only short term and are small compared with the economic drain on the state caused by illegal immigrants. The Federation for American Immigration Reform said illegal immigration costs U.S. taxpayers about $113 billion a year at the federal, state and local level. It said the bulk of the costs ($84.2 billion) are absorbed by state and local governments. The federation estimates that the total education, medical and incarceration costs in Arizona due to illegal immigration are over $2 billion a year.