Arizona OKs illegal-worker restrictions

PHOENIX - Arizona's governor signed a bill Monday that prohibits people from hiring illegal immigrants and requires businesses to verify applicants' employment eligibility, saying Congress was apparently "incapable" of helping.

The bill's approval by Gov. Janet Napolitano, a Democrat, marks the end of a three-year fight at the Republican-controlled Legislature to create state-imposed employer sanctions. The goal is to weaken the economic incentive for immigrants to sneak across the border and to lessen Arizona's role as the busiest illegal gateway into the nation.

But the governor said that the bill she signed had major flaws, and that she was willing to call a special legislative session to address them.

"Immigration is a federal responsibility, but ... it is now abundantly clear that Congress finds itself incapable of coping with the comprehensive immigration reforms our country needs," the governor said in a statement. "I signed it, too, out of the realization that the flow of illegal immigration into our state is due to the constant demand of some employers for cheap, undocumented labor."

Advocates for tougher border enforcement said state penalties were needed because the federal government has not adequately enforced a federal law that already bars employers from knowingly hiring illegal immigrants.

Many businesses and immigrant advocates question the state's legal authority to regulate immigration and said the new state law would weaken Arizona's business climate.

The Pew Hispanic Center estimates that illegal immigrants account for one in 10 workers in the Arizona economy. Arizona is one of at least 11 states that have considered employer sanctions this year, and Congress has tried but failed to come up with an immigration reform policy.

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