I haven't posted here because by the time I read it, clintjm had already steered it in a ridiculous direction. I will just say to clintjm that if you think this law will not lead to profiling, even thought the law says otherwise, you do not understand Arizona, and you do not understand Arizona police.
Rather, I came here to post this article, which I think pretty much shows the mood in Arizona:
Arizona Ethnic Studies Classes Banned, Teachers With Accents Can No Longer Teach English. If that doesn't explain the mood in Arizona right now, I don't know what does.
Also, wouldn't "lawful contact" includes questioning potential witnesses of crime? So does this mean that if I witness a crime in Arizona, and I go to the police to report it, they can now legally check my citizenship status? Isn't that a big step backwards?