Arizona "Comes Out Of Coma"; Sees Errors Of Its Anti-Immigrant Ways

This is excellent news for the Southwest. . . .

And, the tie to health care here was an Arizona bill which purported to criminalize seeking admission to a hospital without papers. What a wrong-headed idea. Here's the New York Times reporting on it, this morning -- Huzzah!:

. . . .In an abrupt change of course, Arizona lawmakers rejected new anti-immigration measures on Thursday, in what was widely seen as capitulation to pressure from business executives and an admission that the state’s tough stance had resulted in a chilling of the normally robust tourism and convention industry.

The State Senate voted down five bills that among other things sought to require hospitals to inform law enforcement officials when treating patients suspected of being in the country illegally and to prod the Supreme Court to rule against automatic citizenship for American-born children of illegal immigrants. . . .

Indeed (my earlier reporting on the first measure, here, and here) -- I am especially gratified to see the hospital admission measure dumped. What an ill-conceived idea that was -- as even people lawfully presnet in the US (but not in present possession of the papers to prove it) might very well avoid life-saving emergency medical attention, for fear of arrest. Sheesh -- thank goodness the tourism boycott had an effect. Video protest from 2010: