L.A. Times: "Thank you, Arizona"

The L.A. Times weighs in on Arizona's controversial new immigration law:

Thank you, Arizona.

Despite our strong condemnation of a new law that will likely promote racial profiling of Latinos in your state, we must acknowledge that you have accomplished what many others — including senators, committed activists and a willing president — have failed to achieve. You put immigration back on the national agenda.

The Cato Institute's Daniel Griswold makes a similar point:

A silver lining of the Arizona immigration law is that is has turned up the heat on Washington to re-examine federal policy. As I've made the rounds of talk radio shows today, one of the questions that keeps coming up is just what changes should be made in federal law to tackle illegal immigration. Glad you asked.

In brief, the single most effective change would be to expand opportunities for legal immigration, including for low-skilled workers who make up the large majority of the illegal population.

Read Reason's immigration coverage here.