WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 (UPI) -- While legislators in at least 10 states have introduced bills based on Arizona's stringent immigration law, many of those measures have stalled, observers say.
The most controversial part of the Arizona law, requiring local and state police agencies to enforce immigration law, is on hold, pending a court challenge. Top police officers in many states have also criticized the bill, The Washington Post reports.
Cash-strapped states are also unwilling to take on expensive legal battles.
Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a think tank pushing for a tougher approach to illegal immigration, said the Arizona law achieved its goal, a discussion on the state and federal level about immigration.
"Obviously most places were not going to pass Arizona bills," Krikorian said. "There's always an initial flush of enthusiasm and then the reality of politics sets in."
In Utah, where two bills are waiting for legislative action, state leaders in November approved the "Utah Compact," which calls for focusing state and local resources on crime while leaving immigration enforcement to the federal government.
