Republican Sen. John McCain, who once championed a path to citizenship for the nation's roughly 12 million undocumented immigrants, is now pushing for a crackdown on illegals amid the toughest re-election fight of his career.

It could be a busy day for Arizona lawmakers.

A border-militia group is trying to form a paramilitary squad with permission to confront smugglers or other suspected wrongdoers in Southern Arizona.

Nine Arizona State University students were arrested today as a crowd of about 100 people gathered at the Capitol to protest a polarizing anti-illegal-immigration bill, which is now just Gov. Jan Brewer's signature away from becoming state law.

A U.S. Senate committee will hold a hearing Tuesday morning in Washington that will focus on the government's plans for securing the Southwest border and the potential for spillover violence from Mexico's drug war.

In the final moments before passing a sweeping immigration overhaul, Sen. Russell Pearce, a Republican from Mesa, made some predictions about his bill, S1070. "We'll have less crime. We'll have lower taxes. We'll have safer neighborhoods. We'll have shorter lines in the emergency rooms. We'll have smaller classrooms," the Mesa Republican said on the Senate floor on April 19.

Arizona lawmakers take final action Monday on a sweeping immigration bill. The bill has been approved by the House. Senate passage would send it to Gov. Jan Brewer.

A bill that would significantly ratchet up local law enforcement’s ability to pursue illegal immigrants moved forward last week amid exultation, protest and deal-making.

As the House prepared to vote on S1070, protesters took to the Capitol lawn with chants, megaphones and drums. Supporters of the bill showed up in kind, and antagonistic jabs were lobbed across the courtyard.

Federal agents on Thursday targeted more than 50 shuttle operators and smugglers accused of using the vans to transport thousands of illegal immigrants from spots near the Mexican border to Phoenix.