In an absurd (and false) attack on Judge Susan Bolton's decision to block of some of the more controversial provisions of the Arizona immigration law from taking effect, Rush Limbaugh stated that “apparently” Bolton “has made Arizona a sanctuary state.” From today's broadcast of The Rush Limbaugh Show:

LIMBAUGH: I think the judge has also blocked the part of the rule that says illegals have to carry documentation. Now, I need to find out at the top of the hour when I have some time to look into it, but there is that report -- we have to carry documentation. We have to carry our drivers licenses. We have to prove who we are when we go in the bank. We have to prove who we are to buy an airline ticket. They don't. She has blocked -- apparently the judge has made Arizona a sanctuary state, not a sanctuary city.

In claiming that Judge Bolton made Arizona a “sanctuary state,” Limbaugh ignored the fact that many parts of the law -- in particular, those that prohibit so-called “sanctuary” policies -- will still go into effect. From FoxNews.com:

A number of provisions will still go into effect as the case is litigated. Arizona will be able to block state officials from so-called “sanctuary city” policies limiting enforcement of federal law; require that state officials work with federal officials on illegal immigration; allow civil suits over sanctuary cities; and make it a crime to pick up day laborers.

Furthermore, Arizona already cooperates with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on programs designed to enforce immigration law. A number of Arizona agencies have signed agreements with ICE that allow local and state law enforcement officers additional authority to enable them to “perform immigration law enforcement functions.” According to ICE, the program allows local and state officers the “necessary resources and latitude to pursue investigations relating to violent crimes, human smuggling, gang/organized crime activity, sexual-related offenses, narcotics smuggling and money laundering” and provides them with “increased resources and support in more remote geographical locations.” ICE says that "[t]he program is credited for identifying more than 70,000 (since January 2006) individuals, mostly in jails, who are suspected of being in the country illegally."

More than half of Arizona jurisdictions also participate in an ICE biometric information sharing program that helps “quickly and accurately identify aliens in law enforcement custody,” which “has helped ICE identify and remove more than 30,000 convicted criminal aliens from the United States.”

That doesn't exactly sound like a state that's going to provide “sanctuary” to those in the country without documents.