Illegal immigration

Nearly two years’ experience with one of the nation’s toughest laws aimed at illegal immigrants is causing some people in Arizona to reconsider the state’s approach.

The state law requires police to check the citizenship status of anyone involved in a traffic offense or other incident or if they have a “reasonable suspicion” the individual might be in the country illegally. The law, which made it a state crime to be in the country illegally, usurped the federal role in setting and enforcing immigration policy. Some key parts of the law are on hold pending Supreme Court review later this session.

Now, business and political leaders are calling for a new strategy, the Wall Street Journal reports, with an “Arizona Accord” that calls for the state to take a more positive approach that considers economic contributions, as opposed to just the costs of illegal immigrants; the measure backs federal solutions and opposes policies that separate families.

Five other illegal immigration proposals have been rejected since the 2010 law was enacted, and voters have recalled the law’s architect.

“We’re no longer willing to throw illegal immigration bills against the wall to see what sticks,” Adam Driggs, a state senator who backed many anti-immigration measures, told the Journal. “Our focus is whether a law will be effective.”

“We as a state can work with federal agencies and not be at odds with them,” he said, signaling a less confrontational attitude.