A group of Arizona Republicans on Wednesday became the nation's first Latino organization to back the state's immigration law, setting the stage for a heated, and potentially emotional, showdown within the Hispanic community.

The Arizona Latino Republican Association filed in federal court a motion to intervene with the Department of Justice's lawsuit against SB 1070, which is being heard in a Phoenix courtroom. The department is arguing that only the federal government has the authority to enact immigration laws.

Another lawsuit against Arizona is also getting its day in court Thursday. The second one argues that the law could lead to racial profiling by police, who will have the authority to question the citizenship of any person "reasonably suspected" of being in the country illegally.

Jesse Hernandez, chairman of ALRA and the son of legal immigrants, sees this as a purely states' rights issue and is prepared to take on the federal government over its "backward" priorities.

"I'm challenging the Obama administration first and foremost," he said. "As a state, when the government fails to do their job, the state has the right to protect its boundaries and its citizens. It's shameful that the Obama administration is wasting all these resources attacking legislation that is following standard immigration law."

Recently, Hernandez says he has seen an uptick in what he calls "closet conservative Latinos" coming out in support of the immigration law. Most of them, he says, are immigrants or children of immigrants who entered the United States legally and are proud of obtaining their citizenship through established channels.

"When they became natural citizens, you could not believe the joy and happiness," he said. "They had to work for it; it was an ambition. It's like getting a college degree."

Still, ALRA's endorsement of the immigration law has not come without consequences. Hernandez has received threatening phone calls and hate mail from people questioning "what kind of Mexican [he] is." He tries to explain that his parents are from Mexico and that he was born in the border town of Nogales; but, to many, his support of SB 1070 is unfathomable.

"I'm not surprised," Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected Officials, said of the animosity being directed at Hernandez and ALRA. "They represent the minute minority of the individuals in the Latino community. Poll after poll, survey after survey of the Latino population shows near unanimity in opposition of the law."

A recent LatinoMetrics poll shows that eight in 10 Latinos disapprove of SB 1070. Of those surveyed, 20 percent said they would be less likely to report a major crime such as assault if a similar law is passed in their state. The number climbs up to 30 percent for minor crimes such as theft. Perhaps more telling is that since 2009, immigration has jumped into the top four issues of personal concern among Latinos, tied with jobs and the economy.

Vargas sees ALRA's endorsement as more of a fluke than a growing trend among Latinos. Stationed at the Phoenix courtroom, he said the vast majority of protesters outside the building appear to be Hispanics waving American flags but also wielding cultural symbols like the Virgin of Guadalupe, traditionally a peaceful symbol.

But Hernandez has found support from at least one like-minded Latino � the only Hispanic, in fact, to vote in favor of the law, state Rep. Steve Montenegro. Also the son of legal immigrants, he has openly supported the immigration law from the beginning and often touts his legal entry into the United States at the age of 18 as proof that current immigration practices do work.

The Arizona Republic is a member of the Politico Network.