China Press, News Report, Posted: Jun 06, 2010

PHOENIX—The enforcement of Arizona’s SB1070 in July may cause Chinese business owners to leave the state due to a shortage of low-paid workers and a drop in customers, reports the China Press.

Twenty-year Phoenix resident Yang Wentian, president of the Arizona Chinese United Association, said most of the 30,000 Chinese Americans in Arizona own restaurants, supermarkets and other small businesses that usually hire low-paid, minority immigrants to better control their cost and stay competitive.

However, with the new law that threatens undocumented immigrants, they would need to hire legal workers who are more expensive.

That aside, according to Mei Shude, chairman of the Arizona Chinese Restaurant Association, the drop in business since the recession, coupled with fewer Mexican customers because of the passage of the law, is making it hard to Chinese businesses to survive. Once SB 1070 is implemented next month, Mei believes things are only going to get worse.