"Passage of Proposition 200 is inspiring state lawmakers to pursue bills designed to crack down on illegal immigration by giving law enforcement the tools to prosecute "coyotes" and report undocumented immigrants," the Arizona Republic writes. "Saying he is reacting to a voter mandate, Republican Rep. Russell Pearce of Mesa will introduce a bill to ensure undocumented immigrants don't receive such benefits as unemployment pay, government loans, grants, public housing and food assistance."

"Some Chicago-area employers are reeling from the government's announcement this week that the cap on visas for seasonal foreign workers has been reached, meaning some businesses won't get the workers they counted on this year," the Chicago Tribune writes. Now, they are starting an effort to raise the cap. "We still have unemployment in this country. ... People are still underemployed," noted FAIR Midwest Field Coordinator Susan Tully.

"A reputed member of the East Boston-based MS-13 gang was arrested in Somerville on a murder warrant stemming from a fatal stabbing in Washington, D.C., the Herald has learned," says the Boston Herald. "Melquis Alvarez-Garcia, 21, was busted by Somerville detectives Tuesday night, just hours after Boston police circulated a wanted poster with the North Shore Gang Intelligence Unit, a task force made up of investigators from 14 agencies that track MS-13 exclusively. Yesterday the Herald reported MS-13 has been linked to al-Qaeda, prompting Boston police to accelerate their efforts to quash the gang's criminal activities, especially in East Boston, the organization's stronghold."

"No issue, not one, threatens to do more damage to the Republican coalition than immigration. There's no issue where the beliefs and interests of the party rank-and-file diverge more radically from the beliefs and interests of the party's leaders. Immigration for Republicans in 2005 is what crime was for Democrats in 1965 or abortion in 1975: a vulnerable point at which a strong-minded opponent could drive a wedge that would shatter the GOP," says David Frum in National Review. [Bush's plan] is a remarkably relaxed approach to a serious border-security and labor-market problem. Employers who use illegal labor have systematically distorted the American labor market by reducing wages and evading taxes in violation of the rules that others follow. The president's plans ratify this gaming of the system and encourage more of it. It invites entry by an ever-expanding number of low-skilled workers, threatening the livelihoods of low-skilled Americans — the very same ones who turned out for the president in November."