New law would allow arrests of undocumented immigrants in Arizona: Here’s what’s known
Arizona law makers pass proposal to give voters say on local law enforcement having power to arrest undocumented immigrants crossing the southern border.
In the absence of an effective measure at the federal level, the immigration crisis on the southern border continues to be an issue that state governments are attempting to resolve on their own. This Tuesday, June 4, the House of Representatives of the State of Arizona voted on a new bill to arrest immigrants who illegally cross the Mexico-Arizona border.
The measure is quite similar to the famous Texas SB4, which allows local and state authorities to arrest immigrants who cross without authorization and illegally. However, since arrests and deportations are the task of the federal government, SB4 is temporarily suspended; so it is expected that, if approved, the Supreme Court will also suspend the Arizona law. But what exactly is this new bill about?
New law to arrest immigrants in Arizona: This is everything that is known
Like SB4, the new bill in Arizona would allow state and local police to arrest immigrants who cross the southern border without authorization. Additionally, state judges could order detained individuals to be returned to their home country.
The legislation already had the approval of the Republican-controlled Senate, where it received 16 votes in favor and 13 against, so it only needed the approval of the House of Representatives for the process to move forward. On Tuesday, the GOP-controlled House voted 31-29 to pass the bill.
Unlike other legislation, this proposal will not require the approval of Governor Katie Hobbs, who already vetoed a similar law last March, but rather will appear on the ballot in the next elections on November 5 and it will be up to the voters to give the final approval.
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Controversies around the law
The new measure has ambivalent support. For their part, defenders assure that the law would prevent people who cross illegally from committing identity theft and taking advantage of public benefits; while the opposition argues that the measure would only increase racial profiling.