Number of state-level immigration laws is growing - Some experts say Washington inaction has led to the rise of the localized legislation.

WASHINGTON — The number of new state laws related to immigration has more than doubled in the first six months of 2007 compared with the same period last year, and some experts are attributing the activism in state capitals to a lack of action in Washington.

In a report issued today, the National Conference of State Legislatures said that 171 immigration bills were enacted in the states from Jan. 1 to June 30, compared with 84 such measures in the first six months of 2006. Because some state legislatures are still in session, the report says, the number could grow.

"In the continued absence of a comprehensive federal reform of the United States' challenged immigration system, states have displayed an unprecedented level of activity and have developed a variety of their own approaches and solutions," the report says.

Some states, such as Arizona, have passed laws placing new bans on hiring illegal immigrants. Others, such as Texas, have passed measures to protect immigrants against human trafficking.

Tamar Jacoby, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, said such efforts to control immigration were understandable, but would probably not be effective. That opinion is shared by both proponents and opponents of an overhaul of federal immigration laws.

"The battle is definitely shifting to the state and local level," she said. "The public doesn't like the illegality, and local politicians sense that. Because the federal government did not do something, that impulse is even stronger.

"The problem is these local measures are not going to deliver control. It's probably not going to work, but it will make life miserable for a lot of people," she said, referring to measures restricting illegal immigrants in areas that include employment.

She said the efforts to enact such laws would probably continue unabated despite a federal court ruling in late July striking down a law in Hazleton, Pa., that would have fined businesses that hired illegal immigrants and landlords who rented housing to them.

Sheri Steisel, an immigration specialist with the National Conference of State Legislatures, said the report showed that immigration measures were no longer restricted to border states.

"This is now a 50-state issue," she said. "There is a tremendous amount of frustration at the local level now that the federal government has abrogated its responsibility."