The enforcer of border laws

But a tough enforcer of existing immigration laws is not what his group was hoping for from the Obama administration. Trasvina said his group and other Latino groups might not support her nomination with enthusiasm. "Arizona has become one of the worst states for immigrants in this country," he said. "I would say her record fits the state of Arizona, and we look forward to a different focus when she reaches Washington."

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, among other groups, have gone to court to challenge Arizona's employer-sanction law. A federal judge upheld it in February; an appeal is pending in the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Some advocates of stronger enforcement say Napolitano may be a good choice for Homeland Security secretary. "As governor, she has bitterly complained about the federal government's failure to control immigration. Now she could have the opportunity to change things. She will be in charge of enforcement," said Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform.

Napolitano has not been a backer of the border fence currently under construction: "You show me a 50-foot wall, and I'll show you a 51-foot ladder," she has said.

But in a speech last year, she outlined a series of measures to control immigration, including an improved national employer verification system that would make use of Social Security data.

"Our current immigration system is broken. It is too easy for the 'bad guys' to enter our country and too difficult for the 'good guys' -- whose energies and intellects we need -- to obtain lawful status," she said.

She called for a streamlined visa process and "tamper-proof immigration documents" that would reduce the use of fraudulent identifications.

She also proposed a "temporary worker program with no amnesty" that would help employers fill the need for workers. "Foreign labor should not be a substitute for U.S. workers, but it is critical that we bring foreign workers out of the shadows, put the clamps on the underground labor market and bring greater stability to our workforce," she said.

At the same time, the federal government should force employers to check the immigration status of new workers. "We have the technology; now we need to put it to work . . . so employers can perform real-time verification" to assure that new workers are here legally, she said. "Employers who hire illegal immigrants -- and know it -- should be held accountable and penalized."

And though Napolitano said she favored allowing foreign workers to come to the U.S. for temporary employment, she also said they should be called temporary workers. "I reject the term 'guest' worker," she said. "To me, this implies someone coming here to take a vacation. These people are coming to work."

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david.savage@latimes.com