Arizona residents to vote on whether local police can arrest illegal aliens who cross unlawfully

On Tuesday, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that a proposal that would make crossing the Arizona-Mexico border unlawfully a state crime will appear on the upcoming November ballot for residents.

The Arizona Immigration and Border Law Enforcement Measure, Proposition 314, would allow state and local police officers to arrest and detain illegal aliens who have crossed into the United States in between ports of entry. It would also empower judges to order deportations.

'Like the Texas bill, only stronger.'

Additionally, it would make it a Class 2 felony — punishable by up to 10 years behind bars — to sell fentanyl to an individual that results in their death.

If voters pass the proposal on November 5, the E-Verify program would be required to determine an individual's citizenship status before enrolling in financial aid or public welfare programs. Individuals who provide false information or fraudulent documents to an employer or use them to apply for public benefits could be charged with a Class 6 felony.

Opponents attempted to block the proposal from appearing on the ballot, arguing that it is unrelated to immigration enforcement, the fentanyl problem, and public benefit regulations. However, a lower court rejected those claims.

Critics of the measures also contended that the proposal covers more than one subject, but Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Ann A. Scott Timmer disagreed, stating that it conforms to the single-subject rule, the Associated Press reported.

Arizona Proposition 314 is similar to Texas' Senate Bill 4, which was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott in December but has since been tied up in the courts due to a legal challenge from the federal government. SB4, if allowed to go into effect, would permit state and local law enforcement officers to arrest, detain, prosecute, and deport illegal aliens.

Arizona State Senator Justine Wadsack (R) stated that Proposition 314 “is like the Texas bill, only stronger.”

Since Texas introduced the legislation, and despite the legal challenges from the Biden-Harris administration, several states, including Oklahoma, Iowa, and Louisiana, have attempted to pass similar measures.

The federal government also lodged a lawsuit against Texas for installing concertina wire along the southern border to deter illegal crossings. Abbott stated that Texas has moved forward with installing additional razor wire barriers in Eagle Pass and El Paso.

"Operation Lone Star engineers install more razor wire near Shelby Park," Abbott said. "Texas will continue to hold the line and bolster our border security efforts to protect Texans—and Americans—from the Biden-Harris border crisis."

Meanwhile, Border Patrol agents in the El Paso sector have recently warned about an increase in attacks on agents. From October 2023 through August 9, 2024, the sector reported 66 assaults against Border Patrol officers.

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