One of the hottest and most controversial issues facing candidates for elected office is immigration. With the Supreme Court’s decision pending on the Arizona immigration law, many people are debating whether the issue is for states to handle or for the federal government.

The Supreme Court can easily make a decision on that for everyone. If they decide to support the immigration law from Arizona, which is geared to getting tough against undocumented immigrants, it will give a green light to many other states to implement the same get-tough legislation. However, right or wrong the immigration policy is a federal policy and should remain that way says President Obama and his administration.

The content of the SB1070 law in Arizona is behind all of the fighting on both sides of the issue. Those who support the legislation say Arizona has been hit hard with huge numbers of undocumented immigrants who have caused the crime rate to increase, lowered wages and overwhelmed the state’s social services system. Opponents to the legislation say the law hurts innocent residents and citizens and will be used as a tool to harass Hispanics, who may or may not be in the U.S. legally.

The challenge to the law has focused not on those issues, but on whether or not it conflicts with existing federal immigration laws. The White House administration argues that immigration is just a federal matter and the laws that Congress passes in Washington, trump any that state legislators approve, based on pre-emption.

Both sides are worried about the Court’s upcoming decision. Illegal immigrants worry about harsh laws and crackdowns in many states, while supporters of the law feel they have a right to govern their state because the federal government has ignored their many requests for help.