Los Angeles Times (03/01/12) Richard Fausset

The South will see more action on the illegal immigration front in the coming days, with Mississippi considering an Alabama-style immigration crackdown bill and a federal appeals court set to consider whether the Alabama law, and a similar one in Georgia, are constitutional.

The legislation and the courtroom battle will serve as a prelude to April 25, when the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments over Arizona’s controversial 2010 law that triggered a wave of state-level efforts nationwide to get tough on illegal immigrants. A ruling from the high court will likely give some guidance on how vigorous states can be in tackling immigration, a realm of policy that has traditionally been the responsibility of the federal government.