Now that the Obama Administration has filed a lawsuit against the State of Arizona, many interested parties will be watching the outcome of it. The grounds on which the Department of Justice is suing Arizona is what will set the tone for many other states. The DoJ is basically telling Arizona “Let the federal government do its job, don’t take matters into your hands”.

Unfortunately for Arizona, it appears that the federal government has failed to do its duty. Illegal immigrants are found in numerous numbers within the state. Crime has escalated to never before seen levels and Mexican drug lords and gang members walk in and out of the state like it was their backyard. So it is understandable that they needed to do something to fix the problem rather than wait for the long promised immigration system overhaul. The unfortunate by product of the law is the way it is implemented. The implementation is what has really led to fears of racial profiling, human rights abuses, harassment, etc.

This is why the DoJ is trying to battle the state in courts. Three states are watching the outcome very closely as they are ready to implement an Arizona like law within their own legal systems. Utah, South Carolina and Oklahoma also have incessant issues with illegal immigrants and have been constantly fighting fires with modifications to their laws. They are part of a larger group of 17 states that have been considering action against illegal immigrant. However, most of the 17 are not expected to go through any further than the speculation stage. It is these three that will bear watching, whichever way the Arizona lawsuit goes.