It seemed pretty simple at first. If the federal government doesn’t solve the problems brought on by a broken immigration system, then the cities themselves would take the law into their own hands by passing local ordinances that would make life so miserable for undocumented immigrants that they would just get out of town. That is how dozens of municipalities across the country attempted to unravel the mess. Now some of those cities are rethinking their strategy.
Among those pulling the plug on their anti-immigrant laws is Riverside, N.J. It was the first municipality in the state to enact legislation that would fine anyone who hired or provided housing for an undocumented immigrant. But the law could not be implemented. Not only was it challenged in the courts by civil-rights groups, but the local authorities soon realized that the social, economic and legal costs of pursuing their ordinance could outweigh its original purpose. Riverside was beginning to be known as a racist city.
About half of the approximately 8,000 residents of Riverside were believed to be undocumented immigrants, mostly from Portugal and Brazil. Driving them out of town resulted in businesses closing and a shortage of eligible workers in certain industries. It was not worth it, they decided, to spend thousands and thousands of dollars defending what seemed indefensible and risk bankrupting the city budget. After all, Riverside could face the same fate as Hazleton, Pa.
In Hazleton, efforts to fine businesses that hire undocumented workers and landlords who rent housing to them were declared unconstitutional in the courts — not once, but twice. Other towns like Farmers Branch, Texas, and Valley Park, Mo., also have had to backtrack on some of their anti-immigrant positions as a result of legal challenges. 
More recently, in Prince William County, Va., the Board of Supervisors was forced to rethink its decision to deny all services for undocumented immigrants and virtually turn its local police force into immigration agents. Concerns about the legality of these strict measures forced the board to water down its policies and led to an outpouring of complaints from a variety of sectors. Immigration activists and civil-rights groups called for a work stoppage for a day to emphasize just how much the county depends on immigrant workers and filed a lawsuit declaring the measures unconstitutional.
Local authorities have realized that enforcing these new ordinances would come at such a high price that they might have to raise taxes. Like in other cities that have approved anti-immigrant laws, businesses in Prince William County have suffered the effects of the immigration crackdown by seeing their clientele dwindle. And many legal residents and even U.S. citizens of Hispanic descent are outraged at the heightened state of racial tension in the area due to the anti-immigrant measures. 
Earlier this month, the governor of Colorado, Bill Ritter, admitted that Latino legal residents have been leaving the state due to a package of strict laws enacted last year. As a result, there is a shortage of workers that is seriously affecting the state. Especially hit is the agricultural industry, which has lost about half of its workers. Farmers there could lose up to $60 million in the next two years, according to the Colorado Farm Bureau. The solution, according to Ritter, is a federal immigration reform.
There are as many examples of the dire consequences of local and state anti-immigrant laws as there are measures designed to crack down on the undocumented workers. If the intention was to drive them out of town, it is working to a certain extent. No one wants to live in fear of being rejected, threatened and persecuted whether you are in this country legally or not. But these efforts are proving to be counterproductive and are creating a sense of siege against a diverse community of law-abiding citizens. The anti-immigrant tide could turn the other direction when those who support it finally realize that immigrants are the heart of this great nation and hounding them will come at a high price.

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(Maria Elena Salinas is the author of “I AM MY FATHER’S DAUGHTER: LIVING A LIFE WITHOUT SECRETS.” Reach her at www.mariaesalinas.com)
© 2007 by Maria Elena Salinas
Distributed by King Features Syndicate