eb5exclusive

The shooting of a sheriff’s deputy in Arizona has thrown fuel on the fire of the debate over the state’s recently passed immigration law.

The Pinal County Sheriff’s office says that the shooter may have been in the country illegally, according to the Wall Street Journal. Both sides of the debate are using the incident to attempt to further their cause in the immigration debate.

Critics of the law point to the shooting as an example of why the focus of Arizona law enforcement should be on border patrol to prevent violent drug smugglers from entering the country, rather than illegal immigrants who are working peacefully.

“Border crime should be the hot-button issue,” Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard, an opponent of the law, told the news source. “That is very different than picking up very small offenders on the streets of Tucson who are here without papers.”

Proponents of the law view the shooting as an example of why strong immigration laws are needed. “It’s a real-world example of what elites who are condemning the bill don’t understand about what life is like in this state,” Jason Rose, a Republican political consultant, told the news provider.

Foreigners who participate in the EB-5 visa program not need to worry about such immigration laws. The program is very straight-forward, it allows those who invest $1 million in a U.S. business to become eligible for their green cards if the investment leads to 10 new jobs.