Arizona’s Dem governor vetoes bill that would let police jail migrants for crossing into US illegally
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs wielded her veto pen to strike down a Republican-backed bill that would have let local authorities arrest, jail and deport migrants for crossing into the state illegally.
Hobbs, a Democrat, blasted the measure as “harmful” and suggested it raised serious constitutional concerns.
“This bill does not secure our border, will be harmful for communities and businesses in our state, and burdensome for law enforcement personnel and the state judicial system,” she wrote in a veto letter Monday.
“Further, this bill presents significant constitutional concerns and would be certain to mire the state in costly and protracted litigation.”
Senate Bill 1231, also known as the Arizona Border Invasion Act, would have made border crossings a Class 1 misdemeanor, except at legal ports of entry.
Individuals who were convicted of violating that law for the first time would’ve faced six months behind bars unless they agreed to leave the country voluntarily if the bill was enacted.
The measure also would have permitted Arizona judges to order deportations.
Hobbs, who bested firebrand Republican Kari Lake in 2022, has been outspoken about the border crisis. Still, she has a fraught relationship with the narrow GOP majority in the state legislature.
Republicans lashed out at Hobbs for scuttling their prized legislation, which was aimed at combating the surge of migrants pouring into the Grand Canyon State.
This is Hobbs’ first veto of the legislative session. She issued vetoes a whopping 143 times last year.
Nearby, Texas is battling a Justice Department suit against a similar measure that would allow local law enforcement to detain migrants in the country illegally.
Earlier this week, the Supreme Court halted the Texas law, pending a review.
In January, there were an estimated 176,205 migrant encounters at the US-Mexico border, down from the record 301,9983 encounters in December, according to US Customs and Border Patrol figures.
