EN
In view of the fact that illegal aliens pose a state-level problem in the USA, their legislatures are extremely active in creating legislation aimed at controlling the illegal infl ux of people and solving issues concerning ones who are already residing in the United States. This paper presents current trends in states’ immigration policies, as well as the debate between the supporters of illegal immigrants and those who advocate the creation of more stringent laws. It focuses both on states where the percentage of undocumented individuals is relatively high and states where “national xenophobia” towards illegal aliens has appeared. In the second part, there is an attempt to answer the following question: Do undocumented immigrants solely generate costs for the federation and the individual states, or are there any benefi ts that they bring?