View source for Illegal's Boycott Arizona By Leaving

==About==
[[category:viral messages]][[category:propaganda]]"[[Illegal's Boycott Arizona By Leaving]]" is the title of an [[anti-immigration]] [[propaganda]] message widely circulated on the [[Internet]] in late July and early August of 2010. It is one of many instances of the ongoing [[demonization]] of [[illegal immigrants]] -- and, to a slightly lesser extent, [[Hispanic immigrants]] -- by the American [[right wing|Right]].

None of the repostings I was able to locate indicated any source other than "[[Associated Press|AP]]", which is almost certainly false, so I hypothesize that it originated on "Scooter's Blog", which is also credited in the picture which was usually included with the repostings.
==Postings==
* '''2010-07-12''': [http://peacemoonbeam.typepad.com/scooters_report/2010/07/illegals-boycott-arizona-by-leaving.html Scooter's Report]: possibly the original, and certainly the source of the photo usually accompanying the article
* '''2010-07-25''': [http://dezertdezinez.com/igwt/blog/?p=2270 In God We'll Trust] "Conservative Christian Political Blog"
* '''2010-07-26''': [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NYPDTPF/message/9226?var=0 Yahoo! Group] for the  [[New York Police Department|NYPD]] Tactical Patrol Force
* '''2010-07-27''': [http://www.topix.com/forum/city/corrales-nm/TIGO1RPL4GUQPT8NH/p3 Topix]
* '''2010-07-28''': [http://siliconinvestor.advfn.com/readmsg.aspx?msgid=26717311 THE OBAMA DISASTER] discussion board
* '''2010-07-30''': [http://www.facebook.com/pages/Boycott-Sacramento-CA-for-Boycotting-Arizona/121430504556943 Boycott Sacramento, CA for Boycotting Arizona] group on [[Facebook]] (may not be permanently accessible)
* '''2010-08-01''': [http://messageboards.aol.com/aol/en_us/articles.php?boardId=537818&articleId=174634&func=6&filterHidden=true&filterUnhidden=false&filterRead=false AOL Messageboards]
* '''2010-08-06''':
** [http://www.fuckfrance.com/topic/3771104/1/USA/Illegals-Boycott-Arizona-By-Leaving-for-California.html fuckfrance.com]
** [http://mellingerman.blogspot.com/2010/08/phoenix-az-ap-thousands-of-illegal.html Finding Enemies of Freedom]
*** I commented on this blog post, and much dialogue ensued; apparently the whole myth about illegal aliens causing a crime wave can be traced back to a [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/28/mccain-falsely-claims-pho_n_627605.html false statement] by [[John McCain]] that Phoenix currently has the 2nd highest kidnapping rate in the world. That statement was [http://www.drugaddictiontreatment.com/addiction-news/drug-crimes/phoenix-number-two-kidnapping-capital-as-drug-cartel-wars-intensify/ widely] [http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=6848672&amp;page=1 reported] as fact and then repeated (without verification) by [http://mediamatters.org/research/201006300072 Glenn Beck], [http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201007290027 Rush Limbaugh], [http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201007080068 Mike Huckabee], [http://mediamatters.org/research/201007020014 Bill Kristol], and probably others. Even the Phoenix Chief of Police, the Pima County Sherriff, and other law enforcement officials [http://mediamatters.org/research/201005060024 don't think the law is necessary].<br>...and then I found [http://www.cityrating.com/citycrime.asp?city=Phoenix&state=AZ this], which shows that the ''murder'' (not kidnapping) rate in Phoenix is about twice the national average, and car theft is about 3 times the national average. So there's some substance to the themes the satire picks up, even if the target is questionable.<br>How much of that crime is due to illegal immigrants, though? Compare with, say [http://www.cityrating.com/citycrime.asp?city=Tucson&state=AZ Tucson], which is much closer to the border -- and where both murder and car theft are less than in Phoenix -- or [http://www.cityrating.com/citycrime.asp?city=Sierra+Vista&state=AZ Sierra Vista], practically right on the border, where crime is about one third the national average.<br>To be fair, it would be better to compare Tucson (pop. 514,618) and Sierra Vista (pop. 39,888) with the crime stats for similar-sized cities in the US rather than with Phoenix (pop. 1,403,228), but I think the real question to ask is how much of that crime is actually due to illegal aliens? Do those statistics exist anywhere? ''What's really going on here?''
** (2010-09-09 update) Wow, what a jerk. I ask for evidence, and all he can do is get more and more childish. This dialogue surely must offer some insight into the mindset behind these beliefs, but at the moment it's lost on me. --[[User:Woozle|Woozle]] 22:33, 9 September 2010 (UTC)
* '''2010-08-07''': [http://boards.4chan.org/k/res/6965832 4chan] with the comment "Saw this on a gunboard I visit. Politics I know, but it's hilarious."

The complete text follows. The punctuation error in the title is present in all or most of the repostings.

==Text==
Phoenix, AZ (AP) - Thousands of illegal immigrants are showing their outrage with Arizona 's controversial new SB-1070 law by boycotting the state and moving elsewhere.
 
One example of those who are punishing the state by leaving is illegal immigrant Manuel Renaldo. As he loaded his stolen car with his family of twelve's belongings, Renaldo told this reporter through an interpreter, "It's a matter of principle, 'homes.' I refuse to be supported by someplace that treats me like a criminal."

The affects of the exodus are being felt by Arizona retailers who report dwindling beer, spray paint, and ammunition sales. Also hit hard are Arizona hospitals, who have reported a dramatic decline in births and emergency room visits by illegal aliens. "We're ecstatic," said one administrator for Banner Health in Phoenix . "At this rate we may see a profit one day."

The boycott/exodus of Arizona by illegals is expected to grow exponentially leading up to the law's starting date.
==Analysis==
The message implies that "illegals" are mostly criminals; this is false. Areas with higher populations of immigrants have been reporting ''lower'' than usual crime rates. There has been a great deal of propaganda about massive crime waves caused by illegal immigrants; this is false.

The message totally avoids addressing many of the legitimate arguments against the law.
==Notes==
For a future page about SB-1070:
* http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/05/03/arizona_failed_state_failed_immigration_policies/
* http://www.cleveland.com/nation/index.ssf/2010/08/what_changed_in_arizona_which.html
* http://immigration.change.org/blog/view/native_americans_oppose_arizona_anti-immigrant_law
* http://thinkprogress.org/2010/05/24/arizona-international-response/ - the law probably violates international covenants
* [http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2010/05/more_immigration_less_crime.php More Immigration = Less Crime?]