In 2004, Arizona's Proposition 200 wanted state and local governments to verify the identity and immigration status of all applicants for certain public benefits, and to require government employees to report violations (Wood pp). Attitudes about the problem have hardened in recent years in some states, both out of concern about the economic impact, particularly in a time of slow job growth, and out of concern about the security threat posed since 9/11 (Wood pp). The concern over illegal immigration has intensified as the federal government has shifted more of the cost and control of welfare benefits to the states, further burdening state budgets (Wood pp). Some anti-immigrant groups say illegal immigrants siphon more than $1 billion a year in social services from the Arizona treasury, roughly $700 per family in the state (Wood pp). Ira Mehlman of the Federation for Immigration Reform, says, "Arizona has a serious problem on...
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