Immigration ranked top story of '06

Thousands march in Phoenix; 160 convicted under smuggling law; Guard patrols border; voters pass 4 measures

Jacques Billeaud
Associated Press
Jan. 2, 2007 12:00 AM

The frustrations that Arizonans have long felt over illegal immigration spread in 2006 to states far from the border.

Border woes were already dominating Arizona's politics when immigrant rights supporters took to the streets this past spring in Arizona and other states. An estimated 100,000 people marched in Phoenix to urge Congress to let illegal immigrants become U.S. citizens.

Before the marches, Gov. Janet Napolitano had already proposed sending National Guard troops to the Arizona-Mexico border to help immigration agents, state lawmakers had pitched ideas on reducing illegal immigration, and a new approach to cracking down on immigrant smugglers was taking shape.

After the marches, President Bush sent National Guard members to the border, a dispute intensified over the federal government's response to Arizona's immigration problems, and state voters overwhelmingly approved four new immigration laws.

The marches and the issue's pervasive reach led members and staff of the Associated Press to rate illegal immigration as the No. 1 story in Arizona in 2006, the second year in a row it has held the top spot.