As legal and activist battles continue to be waged in Arizona against the anti-immigration laws it passed this year, a number of other states are also on a xenophobic path, with many passing legislation that restricts immigrants’ access to in-state tuition or public benefits.

The recent decision by the Obama administration to legally challenge the constitutionality of Arizona’s SB 1070 — a bill that allows state law enforcement to profile individuals based on their presumed immigration status — has followed a sizable grass-roots campaign attacking anti-immigration legislation from below. –JCL

Los Angeles Times:

Colorado restricts illegal immigrants from receiving in-state tuition. Nebraska requires verification of immigration status to obtain public benefits. In Tennessee, knowingly presenting a false ID card to get a job is a misdemeanor.

Arizona’s strict new law has generated the most controversy, but there are hundreds of immigration-related laws on the books across the country. The laws regulate employment, law enforcement, education, benefits and healthcare.

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit last week to stop the Arizona law from taking effect July 29, saying that immigration policy is a national responsibility and “a patchwork of state laws will only create more problems than it solves.” But according to experts, that is precisely what exists.

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