-- by Brock Vergakis, The Associated Press:

A conservative Utah lawmaker says his proposed Arizona-style immigration bill would withstand any federal court challenges.

State Rep. Stephen Sandstrom's bill had its first public hearing Wednesday. The measure contains several provisions nearly identical to those a federal judge blocked in Arizona before they could take effect last month.

-- by David Hendricks, San Antonio Express-News:

Hispanic consumers and their increasing purchasing power are the growth engine for the U.S. economy, Javier Palomarez, president and CEO of the Washington-based U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said Wednesday in San Antonio.

“This is a market that is growing faster than anyone anticipated,” Palomarez told nearly 100 people attending a luncheon of the American Marketing Association's San Antonio chapter.

-- by Devlin Barrett, The Wall Street Journal:

With a critical primary vote scheduled before a verdict in his House ethics trial, judgement for Rep. Charles Rangel will come first from the voters. That verdict will likely hinge on old alliances, long-running rivalries and the changing face of his upper Manhattan district.

-- by Thomas D. Elias, Palo Alto Daily News:

Back in 1978, Tom Quinn, campaign manager of Jerry Brown's two previous runs for governor, observed that "It doesn't matter what you say or do before January 1 of an election year, because the voters will never remember."

-- a New York Times editorial:

Secure Communities, an immigration enforcement program created under President George W. Bush and now being greatly expanded by President Obama, is billed as an effort to catch and deport “the worst of the worst,” the violent criminals, drug and gun smugglers, gang members and other dangerous aliens. That would be excellent, if true. It doesn’t seem to be. 

-- by Paul Davenport, The Associated Press:

Arizona legislators are setting aside Gov. Jan Brewer's suggestion that lawmakers consider changing parts of the state's controversial immigration law.

-- by Robert Marus, Associated Baptist Press:

Leaders of the nation’s largest Hispanic evangelical organization warned leaders of the Republican Party Aug. 17 that their increasingly strident rhetoric on immigration puts the party at risk of losing an entire generation of Latino voters. 

-- by Jerry Markon and Stephanie McCrummen, The Washington Post:

A federal investigation of a controversial Arizona sheriff known for tough immigration enforcement has intensified in recent days, escalating the conflict between the Obama administration and officials in the border state.

-- by Jesse James DeConto, The Charlotte Observer:

It's 10:20 on a Tuesday night. Christian Ruiz, 29, leans down and picks up two 50-gallon garbage bags, filled with the dirty tissues and crumpled paper of a busy eyeglasses clinic and factory.

-- by Mark Penn, for Politico.com:

It’s not news in this poll that Congress receives poor marks for its overall performance, given the state of the national economy, but what is a surprise is that solid majorities of the public and overwhelming majorities of D.C. elites want some kind of comprehensive immigration legislation passed now.

The scarcity of jobs, the growth of the Latino vote and the legislation in Arizona have all contributed to creating an atmosphere in which the public says that progress on this issue is overdue.

Get the full POLITICO Poll results