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Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Should Arizona put a 'bounty' on migrants heads? Hell no
Arizona is leading the pack in the hunt for migrants, now pushing to put a 'bounty' on their heads and making it legal to shoot them on private property. Hunting for migrants has long been a favorite sport of Arizona's border vigilante groups and the elected leaders who passed restrictive anti-immigrant laws in the early and mid-2000s. The difference now is that Donald Trump has declared a nationwide war on migrants, ordering to deport all those here illegally by any means necessary. Arizona MAGA lawmakers are now eagerly working to tame Trump's fury over the slow pace of deportation, and what they're proposing is vigilantism on steroids. Republican Sen. Jake Hoffman is proposing a 'bounty bill' to pay local law enforcement for each undocumented immigrant arrested and deported. This is no joke. The chairman of the Arizona Freedom Caucus wants to put a $2,500 bounty on migrants' heads, just like in the olden days of the lawless frontier. It's unclear how Hoffman came up with that amount, but his Senate Bill 1111 would impose a fee on migrants' international wire transfers. Taxpayers could, if they want, also claim the fees paid as tax credit. That's how Hoffman is selling his head-hunting pitch to MAGA Arizonans, who are itching to use migrants as human targets. And just in case there's any doubt of their barbarian tactics, Rep. Justin Heap is pushing a bill to legalize the shooting and killing of anyone illegally crossing private property. The legislation doesn't mention undocumented immigrants, but it is meant to give property owners free rein to kill and shoot. Case in point? Arizona rancher George Kelly was charged with second-degree murder in the 2023 death of an unarmed migrant. The likes of Kelly, who ultimately got a mistrial, would be legally justified under Heap's proposed law with no need to bother with the courts. Another bill, SB 1164, that is now making its way through the MAGA-controlled Legislature would force local police officers to help with Trump's immigration crackdown. This comes after some cities like Phoenix have said no city resources will go toward helping Trump's mass deportation. Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs is the only one who could stop these vigilantism bills. I'm heartened that a Hobbs spokesperson told The Arizona Republic that 'there's no way in Hell' she'll sign the bounty bill, in part because it puts a 'bounty on the heads of innocent people who have worked hard, paid taxes and lived in their communities for decades.' But what about the other anti-immigrant bills? Hobbs has said she'd work with Trump on border security, but she hasn't clearly articulated what that means. Opinion: Maybe Elon Musk should count deportation dollars Migrant bounty hunting is gaining steam everywhere from Mississippi to Missouri, exploiting Trump's immigration war to promote vigilante tactics. Mobilizing hunters to go after migrants who are already terrified of being deported will only push them further underground. Curtailing illegal immigration and enforcing border security is one thing, but encouraging vigilantes in a 'law and order' country spells trouble for everyone. It's cruel to put a target on men, women and children whose only crime is a civil offense in their pursuit of safety. It's up to the U.S. to take migrants or not, but it should be done strategically, orderly and humanely. None of that orderly migration has happened under any federal administration because migrants are useful tools to stoke public fear for personal, political and financial gains. Now, it's MAGA's turn. And they're blatantly turning America into a vigilante state. The 'bounty' is now on migrants, but it won't stop there if we let them. Elvia Díaz is editorial page editor for The Arizona Republic and azcentral. Reach her at 602-444-8606 or Follow her on X, (formerly Twitter), @elviadiaz1. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona hunt for migrants is vigilantism on steroids | Opinion
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Oklahoma Legislature sees renewed efforts to change cockfighting laws
The Oklahoma Legislature is seeing renewed efforts to reduce the penalties for cockfighting, a practice that is currently a felony in the state. A rooster is pictured in a pen in Arcadia on Oct. 13. (Photo by Janelle Stecklein/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY — Bills introduced by Oklahoma lawmakers seek to make changes to the state's cockfighting laws by reducing the penalties for participating or allowing robotic participation in the fights. But opponents of cockfighting argue that reducing the penalty would send the wrong message to Oklahomans about the 'cruel' and 'outdated' form of entertainment. They said that voters in the state passed a ballot measure in 2002 making it a felony to own, possess, keep or train fowl with the intent of cockfighting and can carry a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and up to $25,000 in fines. Rep. Justin Humphrey, R-Lane, authored House Bills 1313 and 1326, which respectively attempt to reduce the penalty for cockfighting to a misdemeanor and allow a fowl to fight a robot if the rooster is unharmed. Cockfighting is the practice of forcing two roosters to fight each other, often to the death, for entertainment and regularly includes gambling on outcomes of the fights. The birds are bred and trained for the purpose of fighting. 'I'm not trying to legalize it,' Humphrey said. 'I'm trying to reduce it to a misdemeanor. We've reduced dangerous drugs that are killing people … to a misdemeanor, and yet raising a chicken is a felony that carries 10 years. That's complete stupidity.' He sponsored a bill in 2024 that passed the House but was never heard in the Senate. It would have authorized voters to reduce violations relating to cockfighting to misdemeanors in each county. Humphrey said it was a 'tough deal' to get his bill passed in the House last year, and these attempts will be more difficult to get support for than last year because of resistance from House leadership. He said he doesn't expect the bill allowing robots in cockfights to pass, but he wanted to start a conversation and plant the idea in the minds of Oklahomans. Sen. Tom Woods, R-Westville, also proposed a cockfighting bill, Senate Bill 1111, which would reduce the penalty to a misdemeanor and alter the definitions of what it means to participate in cockfighting. A first conviction would be a misdemeanor with a $500 fine. A second conviction would still be a misdemeanor, but with a penalty of up to a year in county jail, a fine of $2,500, or both. A third offense would bring the penalty to felony status with a two year sentence, a $5,000 fine, or both. 'This legislation creates options for law enforcement to prosecute this crime more than they are now,' Woods said in a statement. 'Currently, there are very few cases being prosecuted because of the level of penalty assessed with the crime and burden on law enforcement to take it to court. If passed, this will still be a crime with felony punishments attached to it while bringing more reasonable penalties into alignment for the offense.' Brendan Hoover, a coordinator for the Kirkpatrick Policy Group, a nonprofit advocacy group focused on animals, arts, education and reproductive rights, said reducing the penalties for cockfighting sends a message that the crime 'isn't a big deal.' Enforcement can be difficult, Hoover said, because one almost needs to be caught 'red-handed' in a building with fowl fighting to be charged. Cockfighting has remained a felony since 2002 and the statute was unanimously upheld by the Oklahoma Supreme Court in 2004, but bills have been introduced time and time again attempting to reduce penalties or legalize the fights, he said. 'But the cockfighters, you know, they don't want to give up,' Hoover said. 'They think it's part of their heritage. They call it agriculture, you know, they say a lot of things to make it seem like it's OK and like it's accepted in Oklahoma, but it's not, it's animal cruelty. You're forcing animals to fight to the death, and you're betting on it for entertainment.' Kevin Chambers, the Oklahoma state director of Animal Wellness Action, said he's witnessed many cockfights and called them a 'bloody mess' and 'horribly cruel.' But he said he's also concerned about cockfighting spreading the bird flu. Over 100,000 birds have been euthanized in Oklahoma alone amid a current outbreak of the illness, he said. 'Cockfighting has been identified as a cause of the transmission for avian diseases because these birds are transported across state lines and even across the border with Mexico,' Chambers said. 'It's spreading avian diseases. Commercial flocks, they don't move them back and forth across the state lines all the time, but cockfighters do. They fight them and then they move the survivors back home to their state, and it's a perfect conduit for avian diseases.' He said reducing the penalty for cockfighting would be an 'embarrassment' for Oklahoma and send the state backwards as all 50 states and U.S. territories have outlawed cockfighting. The practice is still legal and popular in some Mexican states, parts of southeast Asia and the Philippines. A 2023 poll of Oklahoma voters signaled that cockfighting remains unpopular in the state. Of the Oklahomans polled, over 70% believed cockfighting should remain a felony. The National Sheriffs Association has also urged law enforcement to combat animal fighting, including cockfights. The group said animal fights often have links to other criminal activity, such as organized crime, trafficking of narcotics, bribery of elected officials, illegal firearms, crimes against people, and more. Humphrey said he has never been to a cockfight, but as a law enforcement officer he sees other crimes, like drug offenses, as more of a priority. 'If I had my choice, I can go over here and stop two chickens fighting, or I can go over here and I can bust somebody dealing heroin,' he said. 'I'm going after the heroin, not after the chickens.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
