States Take On Border Issues

Those fighting illegal immigration contend that taxpayers shouldn't support people in the state illegally, and that local police should be able to detain and arrest them. (Local police usually defer to federal authorities because they don't want to alienate immigrant communities.) They also argue that the federal government has been lax in going after companies that hire illegal immigrants to avoid paying higher wages to legal residents.

Some advocacy groups argue that the anti-immigrant legislation is tinged with racism and largely for show. They note that many state proposals never pass the Legislature; those that pass often get vetoed or overturned by the courts for intruding into federal law.

"These bills are introduced, oftentimes, as messages to congressional members to act on immigration," said Flavia Jimenez, an analyst at the National Council of La Raza in Washington. Jimenez said many of the legislators "know the bills will not go anywhere."

Last year, 75 bills aimed at denying services to illegal immigrants were defeated in various state legislatures, and only a handful became law, according to an analysis by the National Immigrant Law Center in Los Angeles. Marielena Hincapie, director of programs at the center, said she expected a similar dynamic this year.

She noted that such legislation, even if defeated, could benefit their authors this fall: "I'm sure the bills that will be introduced this year will be used prominently in the elections."

In Minnesota, Democrats have accused Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who is up for reelection, of playing politics with illegal immigration. Pawlenty commissioned a study last year that found illegal immigration cost the state $180 million annually. He is proposing a state team to work with the federal government to deport illegal immigrants, as well as tougher penalties for false identification.

Pawlenty has been crisscrossing Minnesota to drum up support for his proposals. He said he was not trying to politicize the issue, adding that he had pushed anti-illegal immigrant measures since taking office in 2002.

"You have to be living under a rock to not see and feel and hear growing concerns about illegal immigration," he said. "If the public is concerned about something, and we're public officials, responding to a public concern is our responsibility."