Rep. Calls for Boycott of His State

In the wake of the controversial immigration bill signed into law by Arizona’s governor Friday, Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) is calling on companies to boycott his own state as both an “embarrassment sanction” as well as an “economic sanction.” The law requires police to stop anyone who gives them cause to think they’re in the country illegally and requires people to show proof of citizenship. Many say the law will lead to racial profiling, which Gov. Jan Brewer disputes. Arizonans are nervous, as the state depends heavily on tourism, including 4 million legal visitors from Mexico a year. And previous boycotts against the sate have proved expensive: Failure to recognize the Martin Luther King national holiday between 1990 and 1993 cost the state 170 conventions and $300 million. The state is home to half a million illegal immigrants, twice as many as two decades ago.