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Immigration Reform Essential for Economic Recovery
The Arizona Interfaith Network (AIN) believes that comprehensive immigration reform is a precondition for a strong timely economic recovery.
Like the majority of Americans, AIN leaders seek to advance immigration reform because requiring undocumented workers to become legal will create a level playing field for all workers and employers and will promote economic recovery.
The current system empowers "bad-apple" employers and distorts economic conditions for all employers. Legalizing workers will cut the legs out from under exploitive employers and generate critical tax revenues needed to advance economic recovery.
History tells us that immigrant workers have helped Arizona's economy get back on its feet after previous recessions. In fact, one ASU economist has documented that a ready pool of immigrants has been one of the reasons that Arizona has recovered quickly from previous economic downturns. Given Arizona's current anti-immigrant laws and policies, he is concerned that these workers will have left the state and not be available to help with recovery.
For more information, see The Economics of Immigration Reform prepared by the Immigration
Policy Center. http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/images/File/factcheck/EconomicPacketLoResFINAL.pdf
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