Arizona legislative Republicans are calling on their leadership to send a border-related measure to the voters in November.
On March 28, a group of Arizona House Republicans signed a letter, requesting that Speaker Ben Toma and Senate President Warren Petersen “convene a special committee hearing, whereby Texas-style border security legislation can be promptly advanced and placed on the ballot.”
Arizonans will not have the opportunity to vote on Texas-style border legislation unless leadership takes action. We are calling on them to do just that! pic.twitter.com/sSsXuNp74d
— Rep. Alexander Kolodin (@realAlexKolodin) March 28, 2024
The members wrote that they “stand united with our brothers and sisters in the Senate in this body’s ongoing efforts to curb crimes against our citizens and prevent the ongoing invasion of this state.” They stated their resolve to “no longer allow continued cooperation with criminal international cartels, foreign countries, NGO’s, and the immigration industrial complex to make Arizona their staging ground and open-door funnel to destroy our Republic.”
According to the letter, the Republicans asserted their knowledge that “this Governor will not take action,” adding that Hobbs “has already vetoed several common-sense border security measures,” prompting the desire to act.
The next day, Representative Alexander Kolodin posted an update on his “X” account, sharing that he was “informed that the legislature will be having a ‘border day’ to introduce and hear ballot referrals before the end of session.”
Update, I am informed that the legislature will be having a "border day" to introduce and hear ballot referrals before the end of session! https://t.co/nhgYhrpiPi
— Rep. Alexander Kolodin (@realAlexKolodin) March 29, 2024
Last month, Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed SB 1231, the Arizona Border Invasion Act, which was sponsored by Senator Janae Shamp. The bill would have “ma[de] it unlawful for a person who is an alien (unlawful immigrant) to enter Arizona from a foreign nation at any location other than a lawful port of entry and outline[d] penalties for violations of illegally entering Arizona and provide[d] immunity from civil liability and indemnification for state and local government officials, employees and contractors who enforce this prohibition” – according to the purpose from the state Senate.
In her veto letter to Senate President Warren Petersen, Hobbs said, “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. Further, this bill presents significant constitutional concerns and would be certain to mire the State in costly and protracted litigation.”
Anti-immigrant legislation to score cheap political points has no place in our state. SB1231 does not secure our border. Instead, it demonizes our communities, hurts businesses and farmers, and burdens law enforcement and our judicial system.
— Governor Katie Hobbs (@GovernorHobbs) March 5, 2024
Shamp vowed that members of her party would continue to push forward solutions to combat the border crisis, saying, “The Republican-controlled Legislature will continue to prioritize closing our border and providing law enforcement with the tools they need. This veto is a slap in the face to them, Arizona’s victims of border-related crimes, and other citizens who will inevitably feel the wrath of this border invasion in one way, shape, or form at the hands of Hobbs and Biden.”
🚨FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs Blocks Senate Republican Bill Protecting Arizonans from Border-Related Crimes pic.twitter.com/pMgyTEiBgX
On Wednesday, the Arizona House of Representatives passed SB 1231, the Arizona Border Invasion Act. The bill, which was sponsored by Senator Janae Shamp, would “make it unlawful for a person who is an alien (unlawful immigrant) to enter Arizona from a foreign nation at any location other than a lawful port of entry, [and] outline penalties for violations of illegally entering Arizona and provides immunity from civil liability and indemnification for state and local government officials, employees and contractors who enforce this prohibition,” according to the purpose from the Arizona State Senate.
🚨FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Arizona State Legislature Approves Critical Bill to Protect Arizonans from Biden's Border Invasion, Awaits Governor Hobbs' Signature pic.twitter.com/VIbjb6Yn7m
The vote in the House was 31-28 in favor of SB 1231, with one seat vacant. Earlier this month, the bill passed the Senate with a 16-13 vote (with one member not voting).
“Arizonans want and deserve safe communities, but the invasion at the border has led to countless fentanyl overdoses, rapes, murders, human smuggling, child sex trafficking, high-speed chases, subsequent deadly car crashes, and other heinous crimes that are forever transforming our state and the lives of our citizens right before our eyes,” said bill sponsor Senator Janae Shamp.
Senator Shamp also called on the governor to use every tool available to her office to help law enforcement enforce the law, writing, “Governor Katie Hobbs has declared on numerous occasions her disapproval for the lawlessness caused by the federal government’s open border policies and her desire to take action to protect our citizens. This legislation is exactly what our local law enforcement needs and has asked for to rein in the dangerous criminal activity that’s being thrust upon law-abiding Arizonans by the Biden Administration. The Legislature has done its job. Now is her chance to protect the citizens of Arizona by signing this bill into law, so that we can take the handcuffs off of our law enforcement and allow them to do their job.”
On the Arizona Legislature’s Request to Speak system, a representative from Arizona Catholic Conference endorsed the bill, while representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, the City of Phoenix, and Arizona Faith Network signed in in opposition to the legislation.
One of Senator Shamp’s colleagues, Senate President Pro Tempore T.J. Shope, also highlighted the passage of the bill through both chambers of the state legislature and echoed the desire for the governor to sign the legislation. He posted, “I call on Governor Hobbs to sign this bill and make good on her promise from the State of the State Address this year to take the situation at our Border seriously. Katie Hobbs, sign SB 1231.”
Arizona House Democrats vehemently protested the bill on the floor before it won final passage. The Caucus’ “X” account called the measure the “ghost of SB 1070,” and confidently predicted a veto from Governor Hobbs.
House GOP sends the ghost of SB1070 to the Governor’s desk to be justifiably vetoed. Rep. @RepAnaliseOrtiz calls out MAGA Republicans for stoking fear and using the Latino community as political pawns in an election year. pic.twitter.com/lPktJK65Xq
Despite a heightened tone in rhetoric from Governor Hobbs over the border crisis, the Democrat chief executive of Arizona is unlikely to go along with many – if any – of the immigration-related bills currently being offered in the legislature by Republicans. Legislative Republicans have pointed to Hobbs’ vetoes of their border bills in the 2023 session as proof that her actions speak louder than words, and the forthcoming decisions on these new proposals will certainly add to that narrative as an election year kicks into high gear for both political parties.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
A bill to combat the illegal immigration crisis at America’s southern border is one step closer to Arizona Governor Hobbs’ desk.
Last week, the Arizona House of Representatives passed HB 2748, which was sponsored by State Representative Joseph Chaplik. According to the overview provided by the chamber, the legislation “establishes penalties and enforcement against illegal border crossings.”
✅FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE✅ House Republicans Vote to Protect State of Arizona from Democrats’ Historic Open Border Crisis
All 31 Republicans voted in favor of the proposal, while all 28 Democrats voted in opposition. One seat was vacant at the time of the vote.
“The Biden administration’s abject refusal to uphold federal immigration laws is anti-American,” Representative Chaplik said. “It is directly responsible for catapulting our southern border into a state of chaos and facilitating an invasion unprecedented in scale and severity. Democrats at every level are working overtime to keep America’s borders open and unsecure, and Americans should demand to know why.”
Chaplik’s colleague, Representative Rachel Jones added, “Arizonans will come out in droves to vote for elected officials who are listening to them on the #1 issue of concern, THE BORDER CRISIS. To my colleagues on the left, the people don’t believe your gaslighting and rhetoric anymore. Americans want to feel safe in their own country.”
Arizonans will come out in droves to vote for elected officials who are listening to them on the #1 issue of concern, THE BORDER CRISIS. To my colleagues on the left, the people don’t believe your gaslighting and rhetoric anymore. Americans want to feel safe in their own country. https://t.co/3gQiXdIz3Y
According to the press release from the Arizona House Republican Caucus, the “key provisions” of the bill include the following:
Establishing a class 1 misdemeanor (or a class 6 felony for subsequent offenses) for individuals entering Arizona from a foreign country as aliens, except through legal ports of entry
Imposing a class 1 misdemeanor for aliens re-entering the U.S. through Arizona if they were previously deported, excluded, or left while a deportation or exclusion order was pending
Elevating the offense to a class 3 felony if the alien was removed due to multiple drug misdemeanors, federal inadmissibility, terrorism involvement, or removal following a nonviolent crime
Elevating the offense to a class 2 felony if the alien was removed after committing a felony
Providing for an order of return for aliens violating the law, with failure to comply constituting a class 2 felony
Granting immunity from civil liability for local and state government officials, employees, and contractors enforcing the law, with indemnification for civil actions under federal law
Mandating the Arizona Attorney General to pursue all available remedies to recover federal reimbursements for state costs incurred due to illegal immigration.
In pointing to the urgent need for state action to combat the border crisis, Chaplik’s communication also pointed to the following facts on the ground:
Cartels are cutting holes in border fencing and controlling cross-border activity.
169 immigrants on the terrorist watch list tried to cross the southern border in the past year
24,000+ Chinese nationals were apprehended crossing into the U.S. from Mexico
Over 150,000 gang members from Central and South America
Over 7 million illegal crossings in the last 3 years, and more than 1 million in the last 4 months.
HB 2748 will now be considered by the Arizona Senate. If approved by the Senate, the bill stands no chance of being signed into law by Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs, who, although she has recently increased the sharpness of her rhetoric against the federal government’s handling of the border crisis, has not agreed with most – if not all – of Republicans’ solutions to solve the lawlessness from a state level. In fact, legislative Republicans pointed out multiple times that Hobbs vetoed border-related bills in 2023, though she attempted to talk tough about the crisis in her January State of the State address.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
A controversial border proposal is making its way through the Arizona Legislature.
On Monday, the Arizona House Military and Public Safety Committee (MAPS) gave a green light to HB 2748, which “establishes penalties and enforcement against illegal border crossings,” according to the overview provided by the State House of Representatives. The proposal, which mirrors recent legislation out of Texas, has garnered the support of every Republican in the chamber, ensuring its likely passage out of the House – and possibly the Senate.
✅FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE✅ House Republicans Unite to Protect State of Arizona from President Biden’s Historic Open Border Crisis
Arizona State Representative Joseph Chaplik, the sponsor of the bill, said, “Under the Biden administration, the consistent refusal to enforce our nation’s federal immigration laws has led to an unprecedented surge of illegal immigration across our southern border, constituting a historic invasion. Despite the legislature’s repeated calls for action, President Biden and Congress has failed to address this crisis. This dereliction of duty has allowed open-border policies to prevail, undermining the rule of law.”
According to the press release from the Arizona House of Representatives Republican Caucus, HB 2748 would do the following:
Establish a class 1 misdemeanor (or a class 6 felony for subsequent offenses) for individuals entering Arizona from a foreign country as aliens, except through legal ports of entry.
Impose a class 1 misdemeanor for aliens re-entering the U.S. through Arizona if they were previously deported, excluded, or left while a deportation or exclusion order was pending.
Elevate the offense to a class 3 felony if the alien was removed due to multiple drug misdemeanors, federal inadmissibility, terrorism involvement, or removal following a nonviolent crime.
Elevate the offense to a class 2 felony if the alien was removed after committing a felony.
Provide for an order of return for aliens violating the law, with failure to comply constituting a class 2 felony.
Grant immunity from civil liability for local and state government officials, employees, and contractors enforcing the law, with indemnification for civil actions under federal law.
Mandate the Arizona Attorney General to pursue all available remedies to recover federal reimbursements for state costs incurred due to illegal immigration.”
When HB 2748 passed the MAPS Committee, all eight Republicans voted in favor of the bill, and all seven Democrats voted against. Democrat State Representative Marcelino Quiñonez attacked the legislation, saying, “We know this bill is unconstitutional, but we are going through this exercise for talking points.”
HB2747 is on its way to a veto.
State laws cannot trump federal immigration laws.
We have a serious issue at the border & need real policy solutions not unconstitutional bills to pass committee. https://t.co/QcyK3GKZ8O
On the Arizona Legislature’s Request to Speak system, a representative for Heritage Action for America signed in support of HB 2748; while representatives from the American Civil Liberties of Arizona, CHISPA Arizona, Living United for Change in Arizona, AZ National Organization for Women, and State Conference NAACP noted their opposition to the legislation.
Though Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs has ramped up her rhetoric against the border crisis in recent months, she is almost certain to veto HB 2748 should it clear both legislative chambers and reach her desk on the Ninth Floor of the Arizona Executive Tower. Hobbs and Republican lawmakers have been unable to come to any accord on border security proposals since the state entered a time of divided government in January 2023.
Despite this bill having no chance of becoming law in 2024 – or over the next two years, Representative Chaplik is pressing ahead with his efforts due to the dire state of the crisis at the border. Chaplik said, “The consequences are dire: an uncontrolled border presents both security and humanitarian crises. The surge in violence, coupled with the rampant smuggling of illegal drugs, weapons, and human beings, poses an imminent threat to our communities, our state, and the safety of innocent Americans. It is imperative that we act swiftly to secure our borders and restore order, safeguarding the integrity of our nation and protecting our citizens. Just as the State of Texas is defending itself, this bill will allow the State of Arizona to defend itself at the border.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ-07) skipped out on a subcommittee field hearing addressing the border crisis in his district last Thursday, though the meeting occurred in his district and he serves as a ranking member in the parent committee. Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ-06) was in attendance, though he doesn’t sit on the subcommittee.
The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands held the hearing in Sierra Vista.
Grijalva dismissed the hearing as nothing more than an excuse to “bash the border and scapegoat immigrants,” and claimed that last week’s failed $118 billion bill setting aside 16 percent of funds for the border would have solved the border crisis. Senate Republicans blocked the bill, largely due to a majority of its funding going to Ukraine and other foreign aid initiatives.
REMINDER: A mere 24 hours ago, Republicans killed any chance for a bipartisan border solution.
But today, they're holding a GOP-only hearing in Sierra Vista, AZ to bash the border and scapegoat immigrants.
Comparatively, Ciscomani said during his opening remarks in last Thursday’s hearing that those who had true concern for the border crisis were the ones who showed up. The subcommittee heard testimony from representatives of impacted community members and leaders.
Ciscomani blamed the crisis on the Biden administration’s “lack of desire” to enforce immigration laws. Ciscomani said that the neglect has resulted in the southern border coming under the control of foreign enemies.
“[T]hey have more control over the area than anyone else,” said Ciscomani.
Art Del Cueto with the National Border Patrol Council affirmed Ciscomani’s assessment, noting specifically that it is the drug cartels who have control.
Ciscomani added that the border crisis numbers have only gone up: in this fiscal year, 2024, illegal immigrant encounters there in the Tucson sector have increased over 140 percent. Since President Joe Biden took office, there have been over 6.2 million illegal immigrants apprehended along the southern border; Arizona’s population is at around 7 million. The congressman said that the unrelenting torrent of illegal migration has had a negative impact on border agents’ morale.
Other data that was shared included that over 35,000 of last year’s illegal immigrant apprehensions had prior criminal convictions or outstanding warrants for arrest, of which 170 were on the terrorist watch list. Gotaways amounted to about 1.7 million: those are the illegal immigrants observed entering the country but not apprehended.
Further testimony shed light on the illicit drug trade aspect of the border crisis. 99 percent of illegal narcotics make it through the border without seizure. A vast majority of the fentanyl in the country comes through the southern border, with about 51 percent of all seizures occurring in Arizona. About 70,000 Americans die from fentanyl overdoses every year and now the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45.
Sierra Vista Mayor Clea McCaa testified his town has been plagued by “extremely dangerous situations,” including constant cases of “low car drivers,” mainly teenagers, speeding and crashing at over 90 miles an hour in residential and school zones to evade police, which have resulted in at least one fatality. “Low car drivers” are individuals recruited by Mexican cartels, usually over social media, to traffic illegal immigrants, called “lows,” over the border.
“[F]or the past three years, the trend of young people being recruited as so-called ‘low car drivers’ does pose a real threat to our residents and visitors, which fuels the narratives about the violence near the border,” said McCaa.
McCaa supported a proposal to require social media companies to monitor for illegal solicitations of migrant trafficking.
Additionally, McCaa reported that the Cochise County Attorney’s Office has undergone a marked increase in felony case submissions: from over 300 in 2020 to nearly 600 in 2022, and over 500 last year.
Sierra Vista is about 20 miles from the border and has a population of just over 40,000.
Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels testified that bookings in his jail on border-related state crimes in 2022 and 2023 amounted to nearly 3,000 for murder, nearly 600 for smuggling, over 400 for high-risk pursuits. The bookings came at a cost of about $9.4 million: a cost borne by the locals.
“We get zero money from the federal government,” said Dannels.
Arizona Farm Bureau’s first vice president, John Boelts, said that the Biden administration has failed to protect the farmers and ranchers near the border. Boelts noted that illegal immigrant trespassers were trashing, defecating and urinating, and trampling their produce.
Boelts said that he and his fellow farmers have paid up to nearly a million dollars mitigating the damage done by the illegal immigrants. He said that the immigrants who work on the farms have been upset by the illegal migration, since they spent years and tens of thousands of dollars to migrate here legally.
“The worst part about it is, most of the folks that I mentioned in my testimony, that legally work in agricultural fields in my community, the first and second generation immigrants ask them what they think about what’s going on today – they’re appalled,” said Boelts. “They worked hard to become a part of this country, a legal part of this country.”
Jim Chilton, an elderly rancher out of Aravaca whose family has operated a ranch for nearly 140 years, provided a sampling of the 10 years worth of video evidence of illegal immigrants crossing his land, specifically 14 miles of border territory. Chilton testified that all crossers he’s witnessed have been adult males wearing uniforms of camouflage, carpet shoes, and identical plain backpacks. Chilton said that there have never been any women or children captured on his cameras over the past decade.
“Not knowing who’s crossing is a national security matter,” said Chilton. “We’ve got to secure the border at the border.”
Chilton said the crossers increased fivefold under the Biden administration compared with the Obama and Trump administrations. He said he hasn’t witnessed any border patrol agents patrolling the known border entrance trails near him in the past four months.
Chilton reported that he personally spends at least $60,000 a year now to mitigate the damage by illegal immigrants. He also expressed concern that his cowboys and family were at risk of violence from illegal immigrants evading law enforcement.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
