(TargetLiberty.org) – In November, Arizona voters will have the opportunity to vote on a controversial law to protect the Southern border.
After bill HCR 2060, the “Secure the Border Act,” passed Arizona’s Republican-controlled house 31-29 on party lines, the bill will be on the ballot in November.
Arizona’s Secure the Border Act would enable local law enforcement agencies, who have probable cause, to arrest someone on the suspicion they’ve illegally crossed the border.
Arizona’s Senate had previously passed the bill 16-13.
According to Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma, Republican state reps voted in favor of the bill in response to Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs and President Joe Biden’s attempts to keep Arizona’s border open.
Describing the state of Arizona’s borders, Toma described them as “unsafe… unsecure” and “un-American.”
The state House Speaker added that “Nothing good” could come from an open border, adding that “Only crime, deadly drugs, violence,” and draining taxpayers’ dollars were the result of an open border.
In March, Hobbs vetoed similar legislation, claiming the bill wouldn’t make Arizona safer.
At the time, she claimed the bill would “hurt Arizona businesses” and “send jobs out of state,” and make it more challenging for law enforcement to carry out their duties while decimating the state’s budget. She added that the bill would not accomplish securing the border.
Instead, Hobbs called on Congress to pass legislation to secure the border.
Civil organizations, like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Arizona, also blasted the bill, describing its passage as a “dark day” for many in the state.
Noah Schramm, the border policy strategist for Arizona’s ACLU, claimed the bill would increase the risk of “racial profiling, harassment,” and the arrests of “long-time Arizona residents,” adding that state resources would be depleted by “immigration enforcement” that is the purview of the federal government.
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