In the past decade, a significant shift has emerged around immigration policy, as advocates and policymakers have made various efforts to pass state and local policies related to immigrant integration or restrictions. This thesis offers original insights into current dynamics in immigration federalism through interviews with lawmakers and community activists in Arizona, a leading state when it comes to restricting the lives of undocumented immigrants. Advancing a new framework that connects the lived experience of officials and activists to partisanship, policy, key events, demographics, and racializing events, this thesis bridges isolated bodies of scholarship on immigration and seeks to demonstrate how every person (not just immigrant) are part of America’s current challenges to become a more inclusive nation of immigrants.

When it comes to murder, there are many ways to go about it. From blunt force trauma to gunshot wounds to strangulation. However, there is one way that can be very effective and can even look accidental. This is through poisoning, more specifically, using plants as a weapon. Now there are many plant poisoning cases throughout the state of Arizona, most being accidental and dealing with animals, but there is also malicious intent behind some. The plants Nerium oleander L. (Oleander), Cycas revoluta Thunb. (Sago Palm), Ricinus communis L. (Castor Bean), Datura stramonium L. (Jimsonweed), and Cicuta virosa L. (Water Hemlock) are known to be poisonous and they are utilized by both murderers and those that wish to attempt suicide. These are also killers of many animals whether that be livestock or the family dog who got into something they should not have. The toxin in these plants breaks down on its own and over time can become untraceable. Most of them will also cause death if not treated within a few hours of ingestion, making them the perfect weapon to use to get away with murder.