Although the status-check provision contains no criminal sanctions or authority for the state to hold illegalimmigrants without federal permission, it emerged as the flash point of controversy over effectively enlisting every Arizonalaw officer in a state campaign to "discourage and deter" the presence of illegalimmigrants, as the statute says.
The Arizona voting law was part of a package that also denied some government benefits to illegalimmigrants and required Arizonans to show identification before voting.