From PopCrunch: Shakira will meet with the mayor of Phoenix later this week to help campaign against a new Arizona law cracking down on illegal immigration, a spokesperson for the mayor’s office confirmed to The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Arizona’s new law targeting illegal immigrants has sparked a firestorm of controversy. The law, which allows police officers to stop anyone they have “reasonable suspicion” is in the country illegally, then arrest them if they cannot provide immediate proof that they aren’t, will undoubtedly lead to an increase in racial profiling. Additionally, the de facto […]

From ThinkProgress.com: Arizona, Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, who has been a cop for 52 years, says the controversial immigration law will definitely lead to racial profiling. He told local TV station KGUN9 that the law is “racist,” “digusting,” and “unnecessary,” and he won’t enforce it. While the law may not explicitly mandate profiling, Dupnik […]

From HuffingtonPost.com: WASHINGTON – Backed into a corner by Arizona’s tough new immigration law, Democrats and Republicans alike find themselves grappling with a volatile issue neither party wanted to fight over just before important midterm congressional elections.

STATEMENT FROM GOVERNOR DAVID A. PATERSON “Immigration reform is one of the most divisive issues of our time. Because of the failure to address this issue responsibly and in a way that protects the right of all of our nation’s residents at the federal level, the state of Arizona has enacted an extreme piece of […]

PHOENIX – The debate over Arizona’s new illegal immigrant law will likely move from protest lines and talk shows to the courtroom, where a judge could be asked to decide whether the state can enforce laws that until now had been the federal government’s exclusive domain.

UPDATE: Rev. Al Sharpton’s official statement on Arizona Immigration Law: “The Arizona Immigration Bill is an affront to the civil rights of all Americans and an attempt to legalize racial profiling. As one who helped to make racial profiling a national issue and who has in the last year visited Arizona several times to rally […]

PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed into law the nation’s toughest legislation against illegal immigration Friday, a sweeping measure that supporters said would take handcuffs off police but which President Barack Obama said could violate people’s civil rights.

Just in case anyone thought the “Birthers” were just an ignored lunatic fringe of the Republican Party, here’s proof that the wingnuts wield real power. This legislation, introduced by birthers, still faces another final vote, but is a sad reminder that even the most extreme views can find validation in some parts of the country. […]

From HuffingtonPost.com: For the past few months, Sen. John McCain’s reelection campaign has operated on the assumption that if it can depict primary challenger J.D. Hayworth as fundamentally unserious, voters will recoil.

PHOENIX — Nearly half of the Arizona Legislature wants to force President Barack Obama to show his birth certificate to state officials if he runs for re-election.