Study Shows Arizona Anti-immigrant Law has Cost Millions for State

A new study shows that Arizona is facing steep financial repercussions as a result of its anti-immigrant law.

The study conducted by the consulting firm Elliott D. Pollack & Co. for the Center for American Progress, a liberal-leaning think tank critical of the controversial law, revealed that the state has lost more than $250 million for the state’s conference and convention industry.

The breakdown of that figure includes the elimination of more than 2,700 jobs, the loss $86.5 million in wages for Arizona workers, a decline in tax revenue for the state by $10 million and $141 million in spending by conference attendees.

“The first thing people say to me is, ‘What’s going on in Arizona? It sounds like chaos there,’ ” James Garcia, of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said. “That pounding of that negative imagery is devastating. It has a ripple effect in every avenue of society.”

Garcia says the study is the first step in quantifying how much the law has hurt the state, but it’s just scratching the surface.  He believes the study doesn’t reflect the amount of revenue lost by Hispanics fearful of the new law who fled the state or that of business owners who decided not to move to Arizona because of the law. The loss of tourism dollars from concerned travelers is also unaccounted for.

The study should serve as a “cautionary tale” to legislators in more than a dozen states who are considering similar legislation, said Angela Kelley of CAP.

USA Today