In order to win over the most conservative, extremist voters in the Arizona Republican primary (which will be held Tuesday, February 28th), presidential candidate Mitt Romney called the state’s immigration policy a “model” for others to follow.

But reality says otherwise.

As “ground zero” for anti-immigrant state laws, Arizona—with not only SB 1070, but the abuses of Joe Arpaio, Russell Pearce and Jan Brewer—has become a laboratory for failed immigration policies, with negative humanitarian and economic effects.