Federal officials are boosting efforts at national parks in southern Arizona to prevent what they say is a path of destruction left by illegal immigrants crossing from Mexico.

Legal experts are predicting a mixed ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court on SB1070, which could leave the bill’s core provisions in place while sending others to the scrap heap.

The United States could see an official about-face in the coming months in how it confronts illegal immigration if the Supreme Court follows through on its suggestion that it would let local police enforce the most controversial part of Arizona's immigration law.

Kagan’s recusal creates possibility of tie vote

The last oral argument of the U.S. Supreme Court’s term was an explosive one, as the justices considered whether SB1070 is preempted by federal law.

The Supreme Court appears ready to allow Arizona to enforce a state law provision that requires police officers to check the immigration status of people they think are in the country illegally.

Sitting as the lone proponent of Senate Bill 1070, former Arizona lawmaker Russell Pearce today defended his landmark legislation against U.S. senators and a table of fellow witnesses all allied against the illegal immigration bill.

Arizona will be in the national spotlight this week as SB1070 takes two of the nation’s most prominent stages.

Sen. Sylvia Allen says she’s sick and tired of excuses when it comes to solving the illegal immigration problem. “Everybody just wants to sit around and gripe about it, complain about it, blame the federal government for it,” Allen said. “But when it comes to saying, ‘What can we do as a state to really try to solve the problem?’ Now it’s all the reasons why we can’t solve this problem.”

Mesa Republican Bob Worsley admitted today that he likely made a mistake when he deleted his written criticisms of the state’s illegal immigration laws shortly after announcing he was running for the state Senate. But far from back-peddling, Worsley, who is running against former senator and immigration hawk Russell Pearce, said he believes the state suffers from immigration fatigue and should redirect its energy toward improving the economy.

A new report by the federal government estimates that the number of illegal immigrants living in Arizona has fallen by 200,000 since 2008. Experts say the primary factor behind the exodus was a lack of jobs during the recession, but also noted that tighter border enforcement and tough immigration laws were contributing factors.