U.S. Immigration in Mexico

An Arizona immigration law that requires police in the U.S. state bordering Mexico to determine whether people are in the country illegally if there is "reasonable suspicion," has stirred a national furor and pushed immigration to the forefront of U.S. politics.

Arizona had a total population of 6.6 million in 2009, including an estimated 460,000 undocumented immigrants. The state is the principal corridor for illegal immigrants entering the United States from Mexico. The U.S. Border Patrol's Tucson sector has made an average of 650 arrests a day so far this year. Phoenix police reported 357 extortion-related abductions in 2007 targeting people with ties to Mexican smuggling rings.

The effect in Mexico and in Arizona has been a rallying by Mexicans and Americans alike. Protests and demonstrations have been in full swing since Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed the law into effect. Mexican authorities have warned its citizens that they could be hassled across the border, and Mexican cabbies have painted signs on their cabs saying "No service for Arizona Gringos."

However, defenders of the law believe that the law will not allow misconduct by police and in fact will only come into play when there is a traffic stop or other routine law infringements. The new law being another tool used by police to guard the border.