By Daniel Stefanski |
A bill to enhance punishment for human smuggling in Arizona is advancing through the state legislature.
Late last month, SB 1608 passed the Arizona Senate. The bill, which was sponsored by Senator Justine Wadsack, “classifies the unlawful use of an electronic device to smuggle human beings as a class 2 felony and prohibits a person from being released from confinement, if convicted” – according to the purpose provided by the chamber.
The bill passed with a 16-13 vote (with one member not voting). All Republicans voted in favor of the bill.
In a statement after the vote, Wadsack said, “Human smuggling is at an all-time high. Cartels are recruiting people, often our children, to participate in smuggling operations using various apps such as Snapchat and WhatsApp. The use of social media platforms to carry out these crimes has grown exponentially and contributes to the humanitarian crisis caused by Biden’s open border policies. Our children, our law enforcement, and our communities are being targeted, and it won’t be tolerated.”
According to the fact sheet from the Arizona Senate, a class 2 felony carries presumptive prison sentence of 5 years, and a sentence to pay a fine for a felony must be a sentence to pay an amount fixed by the court of up to $150,000. With some exceptions, a “general” human smuggling violation and conviction carries a class 4 felony, which comes with a presumptive prison sentence of 2.5 years.
On the Arizona Legislature’s Request to Speak system, a representative from the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona signed in to oppose the bill, while former state legislator Nancy Barto indicated her approval of the measure.
Earlier in February, the proposal was approved by the Senate Committee on Transportation, Technology and Missing Children with a partisan 4-3 vote. The bill also passed narrowly out of the Senate Rules Committee.
SB 1608 now resides in the Arizona House of Representatives for consideration. If passed by that chamber, it will most certainly be vetoed by Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs, who has opposed most – if not all – of Republicans’ solutions to help the state combat the border crisis at hand.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
