"Arizona bears the brunt of the problems caused by illegal immigration," the state said in its petition to the U.S. Supreme Court. "It is the gateway for nearly half of the nation's illegal border crossings. ... Unlawful entrants include criminals evading prosecution in their home countries and members of Mexican drug cartels."
But beyond "the obvious safety issues, the fiscal burdens imposed by the disproportionate impact of illegal immigration on Arizona are daunting," the petition said. "Arizona spends several hundred million dollars each year incarcerating criminal aliens and providing education and healthcare to aliens who entered and reside in the country in violation of federal law."
The illegal immigration problem was so severe that then-Gov. Janet Napolitano -- now the Obama administration's secretary of homeland security -- declared a state of emergency.
Read more:
Under the U.S. Supreme Court: States, courts and the illegal alien disaster - UPI.com
I think Arizona will be the guinea pig and will tell the tale in terms of whether or not other states will be allowed to follow suit in protecting us against this criminal invasion. If the federal government refuses to do so, it is imperative that our state legislators put a stop to this madness.