The recent immigration law in Arizona has led to both controversy and immediate, undeniable impact. The law gives authorities in the state the right to check documentation of anyone suspected of being an illegal immigrant. It is now being reported that since the law's creation, over tens of thousands of illegal immigrants have left the state of Arizona.

Anti-immigration measures enacted over the past several years were designed to push over 400,000 undocumented laborers out of the state of Arizona. This is the latest such measure, after another was passed three years ago requiring companies to check a worker's status against a federal database.

The state of Arizona is known for being a highway of human trafficking and drug smuggling into the United States. The governor of Arizona, Jan Brewer, signed the bill into law after spikes in violence related to illegal immigration. In spite of massive protests, polls show that the majority of Americans and Arizona citizens are in agreement with the law.

Those who oppose the law say that it opens the door for serious racial profiling problems. President Obama's administration has filed a suit against the state to oppose the act. Recent events in Arizona have pushed the issue of immigration reform to the top of President Obama's agenda.

Another complication of the law is that it jeopardizes the freedom of those who are here legally but associated with illegal immigrants. Anyone transporting an undocumented citizen is also subject to arrest. This has put most of the Hispanic community in Arizona on high alert.

The Arizona immigration law creates a long list of future complications for our country. On one hand, the apparent success of the law is likely going to lead other states to replicate it. Many of the undocumented workers in Arizona are planning to leave for other states across the country, whose leaders might be fearful of the crime that some argue is connected to undocumented residents.

On the other side of the fence, there are many supporters of the president within the Hispanic community who are expecting him to find a way to stop this law. Protests have been held across the country, and the Latino voting base is not as secure for the president as, say, African Americans. Therefore, when the Latino community makes a demand on Obama, he responds in full force. The same is true for Attorney General Eric Holder.

African Americans have a mixed perception of the immigration law. Some oppose it, due to the disturbing racial profiling implications. Others, including some African Americans in the state of Arizona, have found that less competition for jobs has made it easier to find employment. Black leadership, including Rev. Al Sharpton and NAACP President Ben Jealous, have been vocal in opposing the law. The direct nature of their opposition must be delicately balanced against some within the African American community who've felt that their job availability and wages have been impacted by the presence of lower cost labor.

Given that real wages for American workers have remained stagnant over the past 20 years, they might have a strong point. At the very least, everyone agrees that comprehensive immigration reform is an absolute must for Obama. He has to get this done.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.