Ask the Expert: Angela Kelley on the Arizona Immigration Decision

What's happening in Arizona now that the court has blocked the immigration law's worst provisions?

Now that the court's blocked some of the worst provisions in Arizona, much the law will not move forward. But, there've been appeals, and this isn't the end of the story. Unfortunately, the immigration story doesn't begin or end in an Arizona court room. It really won't be resolved until Congress acts and we have comprehensive immigration reform.

Are there other states that we should look out for?

There are other states that are considering copycat Arizona laws. And then there are just other states and other state employees that are taking matters into their own hands. For example, in Utah, some state employees decided to put together a list of 1,300 people that they decided are immigrants that don't have papers. And they published that list, including the names of some women who are pregnant and even the days that their babies are supposed to be born. There are other state houses that are also considering Arizona-like measures, but there are also some states that have realized, hmm, this is expensive, it gets caught up in the courts, its upsetting to the community. And a number of states have rolled back their initial idea of doing an Arizona-like measure and are not pursuing one. What's clear is that there isn't a single state in the U.S. that can solve our immigration problem. It has to be a federal response. That's why we need Congress to act and engage and pass comprehensive immigration reform.

What do this mean for comprehensive immigration reform nationally?

I think Arizona is a very strong signal, and it's yet another reminder of how we have a broken immigration system. We know we have about 11 million people living here without papers. We know that people can come to this country, unfortunately pretty easy, with a smuggler and without a visa. And we know that we need to make out borders more secure, and make sure that employers who are hiring people without papers, that they get on the right side of the law, and that people pay taxes. Unfortunately, however, Congress has been unwilling to act. We hope that Arizona is a wake-up call and that people can continue to weigh in with their members of Congress and say, "We need to solve our broken immigration system and pass comprehensive immigration reform."