Readers are likely familiar with the efforts by the state of Texas and Republican Governor Greg Abbott–despite the Biden administration’s lackadaisical attitude on the matter–to combat the swelling horde of illegal aliens crossing the nation’s Southern border. The feds have even sued the state for daring to follow existing law about people trespassing our sovereign border, something that is still tied up in the courts.
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But that is not the only U.S. state forging ahead when the Democrats have failed to fulfill one of their primary jobs in Washington, D.C.– keeping Americans safe and securing the border. After approval by the statehouse, on Tuesday, Arizonans will now have a chance to vote on a referendum this fall that would substantially reduce the illegal entry into the Copper state from Mexico.
via the AP:
PHOENIX (AP) — The Republican-controlled Arizona Legislature gave final approval Tuesday to a proposal asking voters to make it a state crime for noncitizens to enter the state through Mexico at any location other than a port of entry, sending the measure to the Nov. 5 ballot.
The potential referendum, which legislators passed 31-29, lets police department personnel near the border arrest illegal aliens “crossing the border without authorization.” The law, if passed, would also empower state courts to deport illegals back to their home countries:
The backers also say the measure focuses only on the state’s border region and — unlike Arizona’s landmark 2010 immigration law — doesn’t target people throughout the state. Opponents point out the proposal doesn’t contain any geographical limitations on where it can be enforced within the state.
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While it has some similarities to Texas’ disputed law, there are differences, including provisions meant to halt drug trafficking, plus bar illegals from collecting government (read: taxpayer) dollars:
The ballot proposal contains other provisions that aren’t included in the Texas measure and aren’t directly related to immigration. Those include making it a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison for selling fentanyl that leads to a person’s death, and a requirement that government agencies that administer benefit programs use a federal database to verify that a noncitizen’s eligibility for benefits.
As the AP report added, radical leftist progressive Governor Katie Hobbs was not pleased, and her spin on actually upholding the law shows they’re flipping out::
The proposal bypasses Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, who had vetoed a similar measure in early March and has denounced the effort to bring the issue to voters.
Hobbs spoke out against the bill’s approval, saying, “Extremists in the Legislature have chosen to prioritize their political agendas over finding real solutions.”
She continued that the ballot referendum “will hurt Arizona businesses, send jobs out of state, make it more difficult for law enforcement to do their jobs, and bust the state’s budget. It will not secure our border.”
More details on the measure from Fox News:
Under the current proposal, a first-time conviction of the border-crossing provision would be a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail. State judges could order people to return to their countries of origin after completing a term of incarceration, although the courts would have the power to dismiss cases if those arrested agree to return home.
The measure would require the state corrections department to take into custody people who are charged or convicted under the measure if local or county law enforcement agencies don’t have enough space to house them.
The proposal includes exceptions for people who have been granted lawful presence status or asylum by the federal government.
The provision allowing for the arrests of border crossers in between ports would not take effect until the Texas law or similar laws from other states have been in effect for 60 days.
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This is a developing story. RedState will provide further details as they become available.
Editor’s Note: This article was edited for content after publication.
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