On May 26, 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Legal Arizona Workers Act of 2007 which requires all Arizona employers to use E-Verify and takes away the business licenses of companies that knowingly hire illegal immigrants. Chamber of Commerce v. Whiting (U.S. May 26, 2011). The majority opinion found the state law is not preempted by federal immigration law. This recent decision did not address Arizona’s SB 1070, the more high-profile Arizona immigration law which requires police to check the immigration status of individuals in certain circumstances.

Supporters of the Arizona bills plan to use this decision as a victory to call for even more employer sanctions laws in other states and at the federal level. Meanwhile opponents, including the American Immigration Lawyers Association, continue to call for immigration reform at the federal level.