Should I stay or should I go now...

Who could have guessed? When the city of Riverside, New Jersey enacted legislation to penalize folks who utilized the labor of illegal immigrants, the local economy suffered. It seems the immigrants who were here working, illegally of course, were pumping money into the local economy.

Within months, hundreds, if not thousands, of recent immigrants from Brazil and other Latin American countries had fled. The noise, crowding and traffic that had accompanied their arrival over the past decade abated.

The law had worked. Perhaps, some said, too well.

With the departure of so many people, the local economy suffered. Hair salons, restaurants and corner shops that catered to the immigrants saw business plummet; several closed. Once-boarded-up storefronts downtown were boarded up again.

Just about everyone who supports legislation against illegal immigrants makes an argument along the lines of “we don’t hate immigrants, we just want them to follow the law and be here legally”. Fair enough. So why then, is the first line of attack to kick them in the rear and say get out of the country? Why not expand worker programs that allow guest workers to work?