Of course the MSM will try and portray this as some kind of radical position, but in reality the vast majority of Americans are in favor of Arizona-style immigration laws.

Via Ballot Box:

The Republican Party has officially endorsed its backing for Arizona-style state immigration laws, adding into its platform language that such laws should be “encouraged, not attacked” and calling for the federal government to drop its lawsuits against the laws.

That language and other provisions were widely approved by the party after being introduced by the co-author of the Arizona law, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach (R).

“I was pleased at how overwhelming the majorities were, it was a voice vote and I think there were maybe 80 percent supporting it,” Kobach told The Hill shortly after the hard-line immigration language was added to the party’s official platform. “The Republican Platform is now very strongly opposed to illegal immigration.”

The official party position now reads that “State efforts to reduce illegal immigration must be encouraged, not attacked,” and says the Department of Justice should immediately drop its lawsuits against controversial state immigration laws in Arizona, Alabama, South Carolina and Utah.

That language is likely to please immigration hard-liners — but it could further damage the party’s standing with Hispanic voters, a key voting bloc in a number of swing states. Many Hispanics see Arizona-style laws as discriminatory.