Yes, it can be done. Say you're a certain county sheriff who just got a couple minutes' face time with Keith Olbermann, you think the new AZ immigration law to be a crock of shit, but you don't want to get sued. What to do?
Well, from time to time, I get stuck in a long line of cars during my evening commute. At the head of this line are Oneida County's finest, checking for seat belt compliance and whatever else they can find looking through your windshield. You know, if you manage to get ticketed during one of these compliance checks, given the amount of time you spend stuck in traffic, you probably deserve to lose your license for being a complete blithering idiot. But I digress.
What I am suggesting, is that this particular Arizona county sheriff start a very serious and very sincere safety and compliance checkpoint program, in suburban neighborhoods, during the evening rush hour when everybody's in their cars. No profiling here - we're checking everybody, even the soccer moms in the Range Rovers. We'll be checking for current licenses, registration, inspection stickers, burned-out tail lights, and whatever we think we can get away with.
Now, if you can't find your pink slip, or your proof of insurance, or one of your tail lights is burned out, or if you're not wearing your seat belt, you're getting pulled over, but you're not just getting a ticket. You have just made yourself a suspect under the state immigration law. No profiling here. It doesn't matter what color you are; you're getting your papers checked. We prefer passports, but we'll also accept birth certificates, military ID cards (including dependent IDs), or voter registration cards. Don't have any of those documents? Well, we'll also have the paddy wagon handy. You get one phone call; make it a good one.
We'll probably cut you loose as soon as one of your loved ones coughs up your paperwork, and you'll probably get the max ticket for whatever it was we originally detained you for, but I think the point will have been made. Don't like it? Sue me. I dare you. Sue me and try like hell to make it not look like "well, it's obvious I'm not an illegal immigrant! Just look at me!"
Now, when the county starts losing these lawsuits, and we send the bills off to the state - we're doing the state's bidding, after all - perhaps some people in the state government will get the message. Or maybe not. It sure will make nice news copy, though.