Why is illegal immigration a much bigger issue for Arizona voters vs California voters?

[Cyrusman]

Having spent extended time in both states I’ve noticed Arizona voters care way more about illegal immigration and the border compared to California voters despite both states being border states and right next to each other.

Why is this and where did the different stem from?

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

AZ today is where CA was 25 years ago.

[I’m not Stu]

California's white voters are less Republican.

[Non Swing Voter]

Arizona is a swing/competitive state so it's only worth it for Republicans to whip voters into a frenzy over the issue there.

[Adam Griffin]

Because Arizona is filled with white transplants coming from places where brown people are considered scarier, and California - at least relatively-speaking - isn't.

It's also not a particularly big secret that a good chunk of AZ's influx does come from CA, but disproportionately comes from the types who think immigration is a big issue (i.e. conservatives).