Arizona Immigration Enforcement Law
On April 23, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed into law a controversial measure that allows state law enforcement to enforce federal immigration law. In response, a number of groups have called on businesses elsewhere to boycott the state to signify their opposition to the new law.
AH&LA issued this statement to the media on April 26 about AH&LA's position when queried by USA Today about this development:
“AH&LA fully supports the Arizona tourism and hotel industry. We do not support in any way a boycott of one of Arizona’s biggest industries because these ill-advised actions hurt the state’s 1,110 lodging properties and their 52,000 employees and their families. Attempting to score political points on a serious issue like immigration reform by hurting the livelihood of thousands of our employees is not a constructive way to solve one of the nation’s most vexing issues. We encourage visitors to travel to Arizona to support the state’s hospitality industry, and leave state politics to its residents. Additionally, AH&LA will hold its annual Summer Summit in Scottsdale on June 15-16 as planned, to show our association’s strong support of Arizona’s hoteliers and their employees,” said Joseph A. McInerney, president and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association.
On April 30, AH&LA sent this letter to D.C. City Council Chairman Vincent Gray in response to the city council's threat to pass legislation urging city businesses not to travel to Arizona in order to protest the new immigration law:
April 29, 2010
Vincent C. Gray, Council Chairman
Council of the District of Columbia
John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Ave, N.W., Suite 504
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Chairman Gray:
I’m disappointed in the Council of the District of Columbia’s ill-advised economic boycott of the entire state of Arizona. Sadly, it will certainly have an effect, but not one that probably ever occurred to the members of the D.C. Council.
In Arizona, the state’s lodging industry alone employs 52,000 workers, as well as hundreds of thousands of other employees in related tourism businesses such as restaurants and entertainment who depend on visitors and investments. Do the Council members know—or care—that they are only hurting the lower-income workers in Arizona when it pushes something like a “boycott” proposal through its chambers?
The Washington, D.C., area is fortunate that we have the federal government to help supply local employment and economic opportunity during a time when our national economy remains fragile. Arizona is not so fortunate, as the state and its businesses still suffer today from a high 9.6 percent unemployment rate. Its economy—and its citizens—rely upon investment and visitors to support it.
The Council should also consider what would happen if the situation was reversed. What if Arizona’s citizens did not travel to Washington, D.C., or host meetings in this city because the members of the Arizona state legislature did not like the city’s stance on the 5-cent bag recycling tax, or allowing gay marriage? Do we really want to set that type of precedent in the nation’s capital city?
It’s enough that their livelihood will be affected when their lodging employer loses business or their financing because the D.C. Council—all of whom have steady jobs with large salaries—wants to “take a stand” on an issue that was out of their jurisdiction. The D.C. City Council should pay attention to its own pressing needs and leave Arizona’s politics to its own citizens.
Sincerely yours,
(signed)
Joseph A. McInerney, CHA
(Updated April 30, 2010)