Much has been made of Arizona’s immigration law. From San Francisco all the way to the White House, liberals have panned the state, its governor, its legislators, and its citizens for coming to grips with what the federal government refuses to recognize: the border between the United States and Mexico isn’t really a border at all and something must be done to curtail the drug runners, gang-bangers and human smugglers. As it stands today, there’s virtually no difference between going from South Dakota to North Dakota and going from Mexico to Arizona, California or Texas.
But this isn’t about debating whether or not Arizona took the appropriate steps to deal with illegal immigration or whether the federal government has abdicated its responsibility in controlling the border and properly dealing with illegal immigrants already here. The courts, public opinion and politics will take care of that debate (as for public opinion, “nearly six in 10” support Arizona’s immigration law).