Immigration court cases waiting to be heard hit an all-time high of 607,755 in June – 10,031 of them in Arizona – despite the hiring of more judges and a Trump administration directive to expedite cases.

Progressive groups said Monday that the pendulum on state-driven immigration reform has swung back from efforts like Arizona’s SB 1070, creating a climate that makes it possible to push for alternative immigration reforms.

Three Arizonans were among seven undocumented immigrants who handcuffed themselves to the White House fence and were arrested Wednesday as part of a protest against continued deportations.

Hispanic parents across the state are worried that police officers stationed at schools - whose mission is to become a role model to the students and foster a sense of trust between children and police - will start treating students like suspected law-breakers, after Arizona's new immigration law goes into effect.

Schools are doing their best to downplay the possibility of such a scenario. But the bill’s authors say police officers in Arizona are required to investigate potential state immigration crimes, no matter what beat they're working.

Arizona’s new immigration law has yet to take effect, but Sen. Russell Pearce has already moved on to the next step in his quest to rid Arizona of illegal immigrants: deny birth certificates to children born in the U.S. to non-citizen parents and require students who are here illegally to pay tuition to attend public schools.

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"You said some nasty things about me. I take it that way." That's how my conversation with Sheriff Joe started. He was offended that I had said on television that he was trying to use a non-existent federal law to justify the continuation of his crime-suppression sweeps.