In Mississippi, business interests thwart harsh bill on illegal immigrants

[jaxx]

A crackdown avoided
In Mississippi, business interests thwart harsh bill on illegal immigrants
By Juliette Kayyem
| Globe Columnist
May 14, 2012

HATTIESBURG, Miss.

Last November, Republicans finally took control of the House of Representatives here, the final victory of the party’s long Southern strategy. Not since Reconstruction had the GOP controlled every facet of political life. It wasn’t just any ol’ Republicans either; former Governor Haley Barbour is considered a moderate now. Governor Phil Bryant is a creature of the Tea Party. Though this is not a border state, every aspect of political life was aligned to follow in the footsteps of Arizona, Alabama, and Georgia in passing sweeping state laws against illegal immigration.

But something surprising happened in the Magnolia State. While liberals and immigration rights advocates were pinning futile hopes on the Supreme Court invalidating Arizona’s anti-immigrant law, lest other conservative states stampede to pass similar bills, Mississippi conservatives quietly shelved their own version. It now appears that Arizona-type laws are more likely to suffer their demise at the hands of politics rather than judges.

Mississippi’s experience shows how states often learn from the mistakes of their 49 siblings. Draconian anti-illegal-immigrant laws have been a disaster for Arizona and Alabama. Those states’ economies thrived off of undocumented immigrants; not any more. The get-tough laws, allowing officials to check people’s immigration status based on mere suspicions, hit many white residents in their wallets. And now, the Arizona and Alabama laws are reportedly being undercut by lack of enforcement, rather than any adverse court rulings.

<..> These groups changed the way immigration is discussed in a state that’s about as conservative as it gets. Rhetoric about civil rights or racial profiling only goes so far here. Business climate, agricultural interests, and fewer government mandates — that’s the language that gained traction.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2012/...aign=sm_tw

The almighty dollar may be the end of the immigration debacle. I'd laugh, but it's all just so fucked up that I can't.

[sandnsea]

"Those states’ economies thrived off of undocumented immigrants; not any more. The get-tough laws, allowing officials to check people’s immigration status based on mere suspicions, hit many white residents in their wallets."

This is a poor goddamn excuse to accept labor exploitation. I don't care who the worker is, they should *all* be paid a living wage. You can't demean the worker for needing public assistance and then turn around and bemoan your own economic difficulties because you don't have cheap labor to exploit.

[Brewman_Jax]

Yes, it is about the money, buncha damned hypocrites. They don't like "those people", except when they're working for near slave wages so that the business can have their cheap labor and consumers can have their cheap prices.

[suzie]

In Mississippi, I'd guess that the casinos not wanting a potential boycott is the biggest thing.

Mississippi is very dependent on casino income.

[sandnsea]

(05-14-2012 06:46 PM)suzie Wrote:  In Mississippi, I'd guess that the casinos not wanting a potential boycott is the biggest thing.

Mississippi is very dependent on casino income.

Another flummoxing "excuse" to me. My daughter is a watiress, my son is a banquet attendant, my stepson is at McDonalds. Why do we need undocumented, or even documented, workers to fill these jobs??? It's bullshit.

[Willinois]

No surprise. I like reminding conservatives that the companies hiring the most illegal workers are also bankrolling the Republican Party. That's why you'll never see harsh immigration laws outside the few border states where there are enough racists really worked up into a frenzy.

[suzie]

It wasn't an excuse, just an observation that the Casino Operators have great sway in Mississippi politics and at this point in time, the last thing they'd want would be any kind of economic boycott of Mississippi casinos.

Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. Then came the real estate crash. Then the BP oil spill. All tough events for a tourism-based economy, especially a gambling centered tourist economy.

It's likely the Casino industry didn't want to add one more thing that might give people pause to think about taking their tourist dollars to Mississippi. Especially when Mississippi has a relatively small undocumented population.