Sometime you get what you asked for ...

... and don't like it. Really don't like.

The state of Alabama has spent millions on attracting foreign auto companies to come to their state, mostly in tax incentives. It has been so successful at this that Mercedes Benz and other foreign companies hire almost 7% of the state's workforce.

So then Alabama passes one of the harshest anti-illegal immigrant law in the country.
Bingo!

An Alabama police officer snags himself a real live undocumented alien driving a rented car who is immediately hauled off to the nearest jail. He was booked for violating the new immigration law.

They had arrested a German executive of Mercedes Benz who had left his passport in his hotel room.

As the local police chief said of the arrest: "I'm not surprised at the amount of attention this has drawn. I expected it would take something like this to get attention." Keep in mind that most police forces were opposed to the new law.

But there is an upside to this story. There is now evidence that at least one Alabama state senator is not a complete fool. State Senator Slade Blackwell told the New York Times:

"The longer the bill has been out, the more unintended consequences we have found," he told the paper. "All of us realize we need to change it."


no word yet about what the Germans think of this.

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The allure of immigrant labor

I have been pointing this out to people for some time. When you hire immigrants, legal or illegal, you get hard working adults, many of whom are trying to raise a family. They work under conditions and for less pay than the same kind of folks from America will work for.

Now that Alabama is determined to fill all of its agricultural jobs with citizens and legal immigrants, some farmers are discovering this.

Potato farmer Keith Smith saw most of his immigrant workers leave after Alabama's tough immigration law took effect, so he hired Americans. It hasn't worked out: Most show up late, work slower than seasoned farm hands and are ready to call it a day after lunch or by midafternoon. Some quit after a single day.

And from Georgia, which passed similar laws?

In south Georgia, Connie Horner has heard just about every reason unemployed Americans don't want to work on her blueberry farm. It's hot, the hours are long, the pay isn't enough and it's just plain hard.

"You can't find legal workers," Horner said. "Basically they last a day or two, literally."

I heard this over the years from other small businesses. Of course, one solution would be pay higher wages. But that seems to be anathema to all concerned, including the politicians who are determined to clean up the illegal alien mess.

be careful what you wish for.