From the “No Shit” file: Arizona’s illegal immigrants departure affecting businesses

Life imitates art. It’s A Day Without a Mexican comes to life. Arizona Central reports that “Arizona’s illegal immigrants departure affecting businesses.” These are hard lessons for stupid right-wingers cowering in irrational fear. Let’s just see what happens when undocumented immigrants are chased away. Arizona is getting economic lessons on many fronts.

Here are some excerpts from the story with my emphases and /*comments*/.

Luis Sanchez and Marlen Ramirez, undocumented immigrants from Mexico, packed up and moved to Pennsylvania this month, taking their three U.S. citizen children with them.

Many will cheer their departure, saying it’s a sign that Arizona’s new immigration law, which hasn’t taken effect yet, is driving out illegal immigrants and potentially saving the state money. But not everyone is pleased over the exodus of Latinos, both legal and illegal, saying their flight from Arizona could hurt businesses, schools and neighborhoods.

“It’s basically running us out of business,” said Rollie Rankin, 62, of Peoria, who owns several apartment buildings in Surprise, including the one where Sanchez and Ramirez lived with their children. Most of his renters are from Mexico, though Rankin does not ask about their immigration status.

Rankin said seven families have moved since Gov. Jan Brewer signed Senate Bill 1070 on April 23. The families told Rankin they were leaving because of the law. Four of the families moved to Pennsylvania, among them Sanchez and Ramirez and their three children. Another family moved to Tennessee. Two other families moved to Mexico, Rankin said.

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Supporters say their departure will save the state money because taxpayers won’t have to cover the cost of education or social services for their children, /* While ignoring the cost that this will have to the state in lost tax revenue and economic stimulation. Signature right-wing miopia.  You would think these people had only taken high school economics. Oh wait. */ including those of Sanchez and Ramirez, who were on the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, the state’s health-care program for indigents. But the effect of illegal immigrants leaving Arizona is not that clear-cut.

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Latinos represent a huge and fast-growing market. About one in three people in Arizona is Latino, and about 40 percent are 17 or younger. In Arizona, Latinos accounted for 16 percent of all purchases in the state, or $31 billion in spending, according to a report by the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

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Rankin said he is having trouble renting the empty apartments because many families are waiting to see if the law survives legal challenges. If the law takes effect on July 29, he expects more families to move out.

Rankin said the law comes just as the housing market was starting to improve. He bought seven four-unit buildings in 2001. He lost one building to foreclosure in May and another at the beginning of June. He fears he will lose more buildings if he keeps losing renters and can’t pay the mortgage.

“We are probably going to lose the whole thing,” Rankin said.

Throughout the neighborhood, many businesses that cater to Latino immigrants also are taking a hit.

Gloria Mayorja, 65, of Peoria, goes door to door selling homemade churros. She was selling 140 a day before Brewer signed the law. Now, she is selling only 50 or 60.

“People are leaving, so they don’t want to spend any more money,” Mayorja said.

Kim Nuu, manager of a 99-cent store on Dysart Road in Surprise, said most of his customers are Latino immigrants. Sales are way down.

“In December, we are closing,” he said. “We aren’t making enough money to pay rent. I don’t know why, but business is slow.”

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But low-skilled legal workers also consume more in services than they pay for in taxes, she said. If anything, she said, replacing illegal workers may increase government costs because legal workers are entitled to social services that illegal immigrants don’t qualify for. /* This is at the heart of this asinine argument the Stupids make about undocumented immigrants consuming social services which is total bunk.  Typically all they take is public education which is a net lower cost than their contribution to the tax base, even if paid indirectly through rents or directly through sales taxes. */