The ballyhooed Arizona employer sanctions law that went into effect on Jan. 1 has been largely unused, a new University of Arizona study found.

The 27,617 firms signed up for E-Verify is up from nearly 19,000 in July 2007, but still represents only 5.6 percent of the estimated number of total firms in the state, Gans found.

Janet Napolitano may be as familiar a face in Florence, Italy, as she is in Florence, Ariz.

The selection of "Janet, the Italian sheriff" - as the daily La Stampa put it - to become the nation's next Homeland Security secretary sparked interest and excitement in the country from which Napolitano's grandfather emigrated from in the early 1900s.

Italians are fascinated not only by Napolitano's cultural heritage but also by what they view as her innovative strategies as a border-state governor, hence the term "sheriff," said Maurizio Molinari, the Torino-based newspaper's U.S. correspondent.

"The general perception . . . is that she is in the first row facing illegal immigration," a hot-button issue here and there, Molinari said.

"Her decision to work more to prevent the illegal immigration from inside Arizona (is) a strategy that is very similar (to) the one Italy is trying to apply."

The Macon County Sheriff's office is stepping up its role in immigration enforcement by partnering with Henderson County in an effort to speed the process of identifying illegal aliens.

Henderson County is one of seven in North Carolina participating in the newly formed 287(g) program. As part of the new cooperative effort, Henderson's sheriff's office can access federal immigration records. The county will also work with 17 western counties, including Macon, to assist in identifying and even detaining suspected illegals.

"Changing laws have made life tougher for illegal immigrants in Arizona, including young people giving up dreams of college and better lives because they are unable to pay out-of-state tuition as required by voters.

With privately funded grants and scholarships lagging far behind the demand, some would-be students have dropped out, and others are considering a return to homelands they hardly remember in search of opportunity.

At 22, Jesus Pineda has lived half his life in Tucson. After arriving here at age 11, Pineda learned English in three months, eventually graduated from Catalina High Magnet School and started working with his dad at their family business...."

"Cobb Chairman Sam Olens disputed allegations that the county is violating state law requiring officials to verify the immigration status of applicants for public benefits, such as business licenses. "We have been absolutely checking on the business licenses," of which the county has issued about 1,098, he said Wednesday. But the chairman held firm to his position that a business license is different from an occupational tax certificate (OTC), of which the county has issued about 27,668. The county does not check the immigration status of those applicants...."

"Driving without a license could put illegal immigrants a step closer to deportation in Georgia. A bill passed this session by the General Assembly requires a minimum two-day jail sentence on the first conviction of driving without a license. The bill also directs jailers to check the nationality and legal status of those convicted and to report those here illegally to immigration officials for deportation...."

"The number of illegal immigrants arrested and deported from Oklahoma and North Texas is on pace to exceed last year's number by 40 percent, the Department of Homeland Security says...."

"New legislation being offered in several states aims to make sure people who walk into the nation’s voting booths are, in fact, American citizens. In Missouri, state Rep. Stanley Cox wants a constitutional amendment that would allow the state to require proof of citizenship when people register to vote...."

"'The state of Oklahoma ought not be in the business of subsidizing the presence of people who are here illegally,' said Republican state Rep. Randy Terrill, sponsor of the Oklahoma Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act of 2007, also known as House Bill 1804. 'HB 1804 proves that attrition through enforcement works,' Terrill added..."

"My first thought is that Obama could do a lot worse," said Roy Beck, president of Numbers USA, a policy group in the Washington area, who went on to praise Ms. Napolitano’s law enforcement background while denouncing her support for a guest worker program as "amnesty."

"The money and the lobbying power is stacked against us," said a representative of NumbersUSA. "This is an issue that people see and experience the effects of on an everyday basis. There is definitely a very powerful grass-roots activism on this issue."

NumbersUSA has more than 300,000 activists sending faxes and calling Congress, an increase from 100,000 two years ago. More than 1 million people receive e-mail alerts from the group.

"My first thought is that Obama could do a lot worse," said Roy Beck, president of Numbers USA, a policy group in the Washington area, who went on to praise Ms. Napolitano’s law enforcement background while denouncing her support for a guest worker program as "amnesty."

"The money and the lobbying power is stacked against us," said a representative of NumbersUSA. "This is an issue that people see and experience the effects of on an everyday basis. There is definitely a very powerful grass-roots activism on this issue."

NumbersUSA has more than 300,000 activists sending faxes and calling Congress, an increase from 100,000 two years ago. More than 1 million people receive e-mail alerts from the group.