I can't say it's impressing me, but then again, I'm also aware Arizona is trying to draw attention to their problem, and that draws more than other methods.
I don't think drawing attention is what they're after. Attention and a dollar will get you a cup of coffee at McDonald's.
They're doing some smart things and some really dumb things, because you've got the idiot fringe involved in the process.
The notion of attempting to decide, on a state level, who is and isn't a US citizen is bonkers and doomed in the courts, for example.
But the initial law, the one taken up by so many other states, was (and is) an attempt to move illegal aliens from the state system, where the feds were content to let them linger, into the federal system.
For many years now, the feds have been content to do very little about the illegal aliens and leave the states to deal with the problem. By requiring state and local law enforcement to check immigration status and hand illegals over to the feds, Arizona intended to move the illegal immigrants into the federal system.
Of course, that would overwhelm the federal system if all states did it, and so you get the push-back.
Yes, there are political points to be scored here, but the most pressing need is to offload the illegal aliens onto the feds.
