Arizona Ballot Measure to Criminalize ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION Approved by Lawmakers
On Tuesday, Arizona lawmakers adopted a ballot issue allowing voters to decide whether illegal immigration should be criminalized in the state.
The so-called “Secure the Border Act” would make illegally entering Arizona from Mexico a criminal matter, allowing local police to arrest and jail migrants suspected of crossing the border between ports of entry and granting state judges the authority to deport them if convicted.
The legislation, which passed Arizona’s Republican-controlled Legislature along party lines, will appear on November ballots in a presidential election year when Joe Biden will face Donald Trump in the important swing state.
“Nothing good comes from open borders,” Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma declared in a statement. “Only crime, lethal narcotics, bloodshed, unsafe communities, and an endless financial burden on American taxpayers. Despite this, Democratic leaders are adamantly opposed to taking action.
“Arizonans have had enough and want a change. They seek safe communities and a secure border. “House Republicans agree,” he added.
That’s why we created HCR 2060, the Secure the Border Act, a ballot initiative that includes substantial reforms to preserve the integrity of Arizona’s workforce, improve criminal laws, and reinforce the rule of law in the state. Today’s final passage brings this Act to the ballot in November, allowing Arizona voters to express their opinion.”
In March, Arizona’s Democratic governor, Katie Hobbs, vetoed similar legislation.
Republicans in the statehouse invoked a clause that allows them to put the proposal directly on the ballot, avoiding another likely Hobbs veto. The governor condemned HCR 2060 last month when it passed in the Republican-controlled state Senate, claiming that it will “kill jobs, hurt businesses, and prevent law enforcement from stopping dangerous crimes.”
“Business leaders, border law enforcement, and bipartisan local leaders throughout the state who oppose this bill know it will not make us safer, instead it will demonize our communities and lead to racial profiling,” Hobbs said in a press release.
According to Customs and Border Protection data, over 412,000 migrants have illegally crossed between ports of entry in Arizona’s Yuma and Tucson sectors this fiscal year. The Tucson sector has 373,000 interactions in fiscal year 2024, more than any of the other eight sectors tracked by Border Patrol personnel.
The Biden administration has sued Texas, Iowa, and Oklahoma to prevent the enforcement of laws identical to the Arizona bill, claiming that they are unlawful because they violate the federal government’s sole jurisdiction to regulate noncitizens’ entry and reentry into the United States.
The ballot measure was approved on the same day that Biden, 81, issued an executive order that, according to officials, will close the US-Mexico border if illegal crossings exceed 2,500 per day for seven days in a row, but will be lifted two weeks later after daily crossings average 1,500 per day for seven days.
According to a RealClearPolitics polling average, Trump, 77, leads Biden in Arizona by 4 percentage points.