Arizona Immigration Policies Spreading
Last year, Arizona passed the controversial immigration law, SB 1070, unleashing a firestorm of controversy. The law made it mandatory that foreign nationals carry their immigration documents on them at all times and put immigration enforcement in the hands of state agencies, rather than leaving it up to the federal government, requiring enforcement officers to inquire about a suspect's residency status. The law spurned many critics who said it would only lead to racial profiling and, in some circles, gave Arizona the designation of a racist, nativist, exclusive state. The law negatively affected Arizona's economy as well, causing cancellations of conventions and resulting in a downturn of Arizona's tourism industry. Despite the negative consequences, many states proposed or passed copycat laws, indicating In fact, half of the country gleaned at least pieces off of SB 1070 and translated them into their own laws, though with little success. Currently, 13 states are attempting to pass legislation that mirror the most controversial aspect of SB 1070-the requirement of state law enforcement to enforce immigration law. Those states are California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia. Florida even increased criminal penalties so that they are stiffer when committed by an illegal immigrant, going a step further than Arizona. And Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia included provisions that allow citizens to be questioned about their residency status during common traffic stops.

The Utah Compact
Since last year, however, the tides on extreme immigration legislation may have turned. Much of the sea change was inspired by The Utah Compact, a document drafted by Utah legislators, business leaders, religious officials, and other politicians that attempted to add more rationality to the immigration debate. The Utah Compact described Utah's sentiments on families, expressing the desire to not separate them, it championed inclusivity and acceptance and tolerance. The document garnered praise from both sides of the aisle and inspired similar a similar declaration in Kansas. Utah is currently attempting to pass a mini-DREAM act in which it will grant residency to illegal immigrants who have a clean criminal record and are willing to pay a fine. Furthermore, a five-bill package seeking to further restrict immigration in Arizona, including two bills that would challenge the 14th amendment, were shot down. And SB 1070 copycat bills failed in Colorado and Wyoming.

The Future
The popularity of SB 1070, and its controversy, attests to the sentiments of the American people. If so many states are pushing similar bills, there must be a large enough constituent-base to support it. Such sentiments are common during economic downturns, however, and will likely become a back-burner issue once again when the economy bounces back. Still, immigration reform, either towards a more restrictive stance, like SB 1070, or towards a more inclusive stance, such as Obama's failed DREAM act and Utah's proposed immigration bill, is a pervasive issue. And recently, Obama renewed his commitment to comprehensive immigration reform, giving hope to proponents of the DREAM act, but the extreme polarity of the issue seems to point towards further stagnation and political rhetoric.