CEOs Urge Arizona To Forgo Immigration Measures

In Arizona sixty CEOs have signed a letter sent to State Senate President Russell Pearce urging him to stop trying to legislate on immigration from the State Legislature.

For the full scoop on the letter, The Associated Press has good summary here:

A letter signed by CEOs of major employers and several business and civic groups says Arizona should be pushing for federal action on immigration and border issues. The letter says "unintended consequences" occur when the state "goes it alone" on illegal immigration, including boycotts and other fallout on businesses.

The full letter can be found here, part of the letter below:

We agree with you that our borders must be protected first, and now. We also believe that market-driven immigration policies can and should be developed by the federal government that will sustain America’s status as a magnet for the world’s most talented and hard-working people and preserve our ability to compete in the global economy. If the Legislature believes it is worthwhile to debate the question of citizenship, we believe that debate is best held in the U.S. Congress.

This letter articulates an important argument which both advocates and businesses alike have been making for some time: if local governments are upset about the current state of immigration in the country then they should take up their grievances with their Congressional delegation. Furthermore, it should be the federal government who makes these changes because there has been an established federal domain on immigration issues. Most importantly as the letter notes there are some very real "unintended consequences" of state passed immigration laws, like loss of revenue in the retail market and a hurt tourism industry.

The letter is signed by an impressive array of businesses including. W. Douglas Parker, chairman, president, CEO, US Airways Group,  Stephen Rizley. senior VP, GM, Cox Communications, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, John Zidich, CEO, publisher, Arizona Republic, Gerrit Van Huisstede, Regional president, Wells Fargo Bank.

Of the other people who signed, they represent mostly small businesses leaders in the state. Which would seem odd, as the Governor has repeatedly  the small businesses sector is the key to jump starting Arizona's hurting economy. Lets see if the state legislature listens.