Advocates for illegal aliens have tried to portray Arizonans as \u2018anti-immigrant\u2019 or even \u2018racist\u2019 for adopting legislation aimed at discouraging the settlement of illegal aliens in the state. But new data from the state\u2019s universities compiled by the Institute for International Education indicate that the negative portrayal is not only unfair but also that it apparently has not harmed the state\u2019s reputation with international students. The foreign student enrollment in the state\u2019s higher education system increased in the past year from 10,676 to 11,398 \u2013 a 7 percent jump.<\/p>\n
That is not the only manifestation of the state\u2019s hospitality towards foreigners. Recent data on refugee resettlement in the United States<\/a> show that Arizona has the second highest rate of refugee placement per capita in the nation. That statistic should be understood in the context that the refugee placement program is the only immigration program that relies on the states to indicate the level of refugees that may be sent.<\/p>\n So, despite the state\u2019s clear message of not wanting illegal aliens \u2013 which has been effective as we recently documented (See FAIR’s \u201cRecent Demographic Change in Arizona<\/a>\u201d) \u2013 that policy is entirely distinct from the state\u2019s openness to foreigners who come legally.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Advocates for illegal aliens have tried to portray Arizonans as \u2018anti-immigrant\u2019 or even \u2018racist\u2019 for adopting legislation aimed at discouraging the settlement of illegal aliens in the state. But new data from the state\u2019s universities compiled by the Institute for International Education indicate that the negative portrayal is not only unfair but also that it<\/p>\n