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Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Border state could invest eye-popping amount to crack down on immigration-related crimes
Arizona could see a boost in border security funding in this year's state budget, Fox News Digital has learned. The state House of Representatives recently passed legislation in hopes of raising the budget meant to crack down on border-related crimes to $50 million, which would be a significant hike from the $17 million allotted last year. "We are expanding funding to give law enforcement the resources they need to fight border-related crime. This $50 million proposal is a direct investment in public safety and reinforces the House Republican Majority's commitment to securing our communities. We certainly don't want a California-style justice system that lets criminals off the hook while law-abiding citizens pay the price," Republican state Rep. Quang Nguyen told Fox News Digital in a statement. World Leader Agrees With Vance That Mass Migration Is Threat To 'Daily Life' Budget negotiations usually take place between the Republican legislative leadership and Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs' office throughout the session. The governor's office indicated that border security funding increases could be on the table for the final proposal, even if it's not that exact amount. "The department shall use the monies to fund local law enforcement officer positions for border drug interdiction to deter and apprehend any individuals who are charged with drug trafficking, human smuggling, illegal immigration, and other border-related crimes," the legislation itself states. Read On The Fox News App Click Here For More Immigration Coverage Her executive budget proposal already includes an increase of roughly $6 million to the fund. "The Governor's Executive Budget dedicates $23 million to the same fund. The final amount will be negotiated in the budget. And she does not consider that $23 million number a cap," Christian Slater, a spokesperson for Hobbs, told Fox News Digital in a statement. Past bipartisan agreements on border security funding are mostly tied to efforts to thwart the flow of drugs such as meth and fentanyl into the state and nationwide, and Arizona authorities regularly conduct seizures independent of the federal government. Top Arizona Election Official Eyes Bid For Border Congressional Seat After House Democrat Dies The bill passed the Senate Committee on Military Affairs and Border Security on Monday along party lines. Part of the suggested increase has to do with the fate of Prop. 314, a law passed by voters in November that makes crossing into Arizona illegally a state crime on top of already being a federal one. However, the provision is already held up in federal court because of Texas Senate Bill 4, so it's unknown whether it will be legally enforceable, according to Courthouse News Service. On the campaign trail, the proposition was frequently criticized as an unfunded mandate that could lead to the racial profiling of Arizonans, regardless of their immigration status. It passed with over 60% support. Border State Lawmaker Reveals What 'Drastic' Changes Can Be Solidified With Major Congressional Action "This bill, I believe, is not the right use of our state payer dollars. Instead of using state dollars for duplicate efforts that the federal government should be paying for, we should address the real priorities impacting Arizonans here at home every day," Democratic state Rep. Mariana Sandoval said in opposition to the bill on March 5, when the House vote took place. State Rep. Kevin Volk, the only Democrat to vote in favor of the bill in the House, said he promised on the campaign trail to "increase funding to help secure our border." Migrant encounters at the southern border have significantly decreased since President Donald Trump took office in January, which included vast policy changes, including the end of the CBP One app and sending troops to the article source: Border state could invest eye-popping amount to crack down on immigration-related crimes
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
GOP bill would force Arizona police to work with ICE to expand deportation powers
An opponent of the Arizona ICE Act displays a poster referencing the message welcoming refugees inscribed on the Statue of Liberty at the Arizona Capitol on Feb. 10, 2025. Republican lawmakers have moved to require cooperation between ICE officials and every law enforcement agency in the state, which critics say could help facilitate President Donald Trump's mass deportation plans. Photo by Gloria Gomez | Arizona Mirror Democratic lawmakers and immigrant rights advocates rallied at the state Capitol on Monday in opposition of a Republican push to require police departments across the state to work with federal immigration officials, potentially facilitating President Donald Trump's mass deportation plans. The GOP-backed legislation, dubbed the Arizona ICE Act, instructs all of Arizona's law enforcement agencies to use their 'best efforts to support the enforcement of federal immigration laws' and requires them to enter into 287(g) agreements, or join similar federal programs, by next year. The bill mandates that at least 10% of officers in every law enforcement agency in the state participate in the program. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Under a 287(g) agreement, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials train and deputize local police officers to carry out specific immigration enforcement duties in order to expand the reach of ICE officials and increase the rate of deportations. Those duties include screening people in custody, issuing orders to lengthen a person's detainment to determine their legal status and serving administrative warrants – which involve a lower standard of probable cause than a criminal warrant — to people who have been arrested or are in jail and who've been found to be subject to deportation. Five agencies in Arizona currently participate in the program: La Paz County Sheriff's Office, Mesa Police Department, Arizona Department of Corrections, Pinal County Sheriff's Office and Yavapai County Sheriff's Office. Republicans in Arizona have long embraced hardline immigration policies, and the party's hostility has only increased in the past few years, echoing trends at the federal level and responding to a perceived mandate from voters. Last year, Arizonans expanded the GOP majority at the state legislature by three seats, backed a presidential candidate who vowed to expel 11 million undocumented people from the country and passed Prop. 314, which makes it a state crime for migrants to cross the state's southern border anywhere but at an official port of entry. Senate President Warren Petersen, a Republican from Gilbert who authored the Arizona ICE Act, pointed to the 62% of Arizonans who voted for Prop. 314 as proof that a more proactive approach to immigration enforcement is called for. 'Arizona voters spoke loud and clear last November,' he said in a written statement accompanying the introduction of his Senate Bill 1164. 'They overwhelmingly approved the 'Secure the Border Act' that Republicans referred to the ballot because they want the law enforced, and they want safe communities.' The move to increase the use of 287(g) agreements in red states has ramped up in the wake of Trump's election. And immigrant advocacy organizations are sounding the alarm over the dangers posed by the federal program. Coupled with Trump's recent action expanding the 'border zone' in which federal officials can suspend a person's due process rights to fast-track deportation proceedings, advocates are concerned of the potential for racial profiling. Reports have found that the presence of a 287(g) agreement creates an environment rife for discrimination. A 2011 investigation from the Department of Justice identified rampant racial profiling practices and a pattern of constitutional violations after Maricopa County Sheriff's Office entered into a 287(g) agreement during Sheriff Joe Arpaio's tenure. The investigation estimated that Latino drivers in some parts of the county were up to nine times more likely to be stopped than non-Latino drivers. Democrats in Arizona are pushing back by proposing legislation that seeks to shield undocumented people from police officer inquiries about their legal status and make it harder for law enforcement agencies to voluntarily hand over information about people in their custody without a court order. Senate Bill 1362 and House Bill 2807 would bar city, county and state law enforcement officers from stopping, searching, questioning, or arresting anyone based on a suspicion that they are in the country without authorization. They would also forbid law enforcement officials and health care facilities from asking about a person's citizenship status except when it's necessary to determine their eligibility for public benefits. And unless a federal immigration officer has a court order or a warrant issued by a judge, cities and officers would be forbidden from sharing information about anyone in custody or allowing them access to property or databases. The bills, titled the 'Immigrant Trust Act,' are headed for a dead end in the legislature, where Republicans control which bills get heard and which die in committee without ever being considered. But Democrats said there's still value in proposing the legislation so that undocumented Arizonans know they have allies at the state Capitol. 'We want those young children to know that we are advocating for them, we're advocating for their parents,' said Rep. Cesar Aguilar, D-Phoenix, who co-sponsored the House version. Sen. Analise Ortiz, D-Phoenix, who sponsored the iteration in the Senate, said that the bill represents the Democrats' 'vision' for the state. She added that it serves to contrast the Republican plan, which Democrats believe is the wrong move for both civil rights and public safety. 'When you have families who are afraid to call the police to report a crime because they could be torn apart from their family, that does not make our communities safe,' she said. Ortiz said only Congress can resolve the state's struggle with immigration, but that she and her colleagues can take action to try and minimize the harm for Arizona's undocumented residents. 'The ultimate solution is a permanent pathway to citizenship, which we need on the federal level,' she said. 'We can't pass a permanent pathway to citizenship here, but we can call on our federal delegation to do that and, in the meantime, we can introduce our vision of how to protect people on the state level.' While the Democrats' proposal is headed for the legislative waste bin, the Arizona ICE Act is unlikely to be passed into law, either. Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, has previously vetoed proposals that could lead to discrimination. And her approach to border security is far less aggressive than what Republicans are requesting, focused instead on allocating funds for communities and law enforcement agencies located near the border. Christian Slater, Hobbs' spokesman, said that she disagrees with GOP attempts to force local law enforcement officials to defer to federal officials. 'Arizonans should decide what's best for Arizona,' Slater said in a written statement. 'We should not have bureaucracies and politicians from Washington, D.C., decide what's best for our state. We shouldn't tie the hands of Arizona law enforcement when the federal government is getting it wrong.' Hobbs has been critical of Trump's mass deportation plans. But Republicans continue to be hopeful that she might support their border security priorities, given her equally harsh criticism of the federal government's inaction during the Biden administration last year. And with the 2026 election on the horizon, Hobbs has sought to straddle the middle ground on border security. She has sent National Guard troops to the border and set aside millions for border security and fentanyl interdiction, while simultaneously vetoing legislation that would allow state judges and local police to arrest migrants suspected of crossing the border illegally. And she's panned Trump's mass deportation campaign, but lauded the passage of the Laken Riley bill, which forces the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to detain undocumented people accused of low-level crimes, like shoplifting, even before they've been proven guilty and could lead to the dismantlement of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. While Slater criticized the Arizona ICE Act, and touted Hobbs' actions to 'secure our border and keep communities safe,' he didn't respond to questions about whether the governor plans to veto the bill if it makes it to her desk. And that decision might not be one she's forced to make. The Arizona ICE Act has yet to be heard in committee, despite being placed on the agenda twice in as many weeks. Kim Quintero, a spokeswoman for the Arizona Senate, said that Petersen is still working on the bill and it might finally be heard next week. Bills are often held if stakeholders have concerns that need addressing or if not enough lawmakers are on board to ensure their passage. Currently, no law enforcement agency or city has registered in support of the Arizona ICE Act, and the city of Tucson has signed up in opposition. Previously, law enforcement officials have complained about lawmakers increasing their responsibilities without setting aside funding to fulfill them. Republicans are just now in the process of allocating money for Prop. 314, a measure that passed last year allowing police officers to arrest migrants, despite repeated calls to do so while the proposal was moving through the legislature. The Arizona ICE Act includes provisions that set aside state funds for law enforcement agencies to join federal immigration enforcement programs, but the exact amount is still blank. Outside the legislative buildings on Monday, Arizonans gathered to demonstrate against the Arizona ICE Act and Trump's mass deportation plans. Shouts of 'No hate, no fear! Immigrants are welcome here!' and 'Hey hey, ho ho, these racist bills have got to go!' resounded across the Capitol complex as protestors took several turns around the legislative plaza, brandishing handmade signs reading 'Stop the Arizona ICE Act', and 'Stop the raids'. The protest is the latest in a series of demonstrations across the Valley and at the state Capitol in response to anti-immigrant policies. Organizers, including progressive group Living United for Change and Latino and environmental justice organization Chispa Arizona, encouraged attendees to continue making their voices heard and reminded them to show up again next week to remind lawmakers of their opposition. Roberto Reveles, a long time immigrant rights activist and former president of the Arizona branch of the American Civil Liberties Union, compared the Arizona ICE Act to SB1070, the state's notorious 2010 'show me your papers' law that led to rampant racial profiling and was later deemed mostly unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court. Reveles recalled that a boycott movement in response to SB1070 caused the state to lose out on $140 million when businesses and conventions passed the state over for their events. He pointed to the recent spike in hostile legislation as an indication that it's time to prompt another boycott. 'We reminded the legislators that: 'So long as you continue flooding our state with anti-immigrant legislation we will support a boycott of people coming to Arizona,'' he said. 'Brothers and sisters, it's time for us to look at that toolkit again.' Abril Gallardo Cervera, an organizer with LUCHA, called for compassion for immigrants in Arizona. 'Immigrants aren't the problem, and they are not just part of the solution,' she said. 'We are your neighbors, your friends, your family. And we are parents and children with hopes and dreams and every right to pursue a safe, dignified life safe from prosecution and state violence.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A $50 million allocation to enforce the ‘Secure Border Act' could spark a constitutional showdown
Photo via Getty Images A Republican bill that would appropriate $50 million from the state general fund to the Arizona Department of Public Safety to enforce 'border related crimes' and implement a measure voters approved last year cleared its first hurdle Monday afternoon. But if it ultimately becomes law, it could trigger a constitutional challenge to the law that voters overwhelmingly backed in the November election. That law, Proposition 314, makes illegally crossing the border a state crime, enabling local police to detain and arrest migrants. But the GOP lawmakers who crafted the measure and sent it to the ballot didn't allocate any funding to enforce its provisions, even after sheriffs and other law enforcement leaders told them they needed money if they were going to be asked to enforce it. Now that Prop. 314 won at the ballot box, Nguyen, R-Prescott Valley, is pushing House Bill 2606 to provide funding to actually enforce its provisions. 'I think if we are going to ask law enforcement to perform additional duties, we need to have that money,' Nguyen told the House Committee on Public Safety and Law Enforcement when it considered his bill. But doing so could be grounds for a lawsuit that aims to take down the entire law. The Arizona Constitution requires any ballot measure that increases state spending to provide money to pay for it — and says that money cannot come out of the state's general operating account. Nguyen's proposal would appropriate the $50 million from the state's general fund. No lawmakers in Monday's committee spoke about the possible constitutional issues the funding could trigger, but there were repeated references to the bill's goal of implementing Prop. 314 enforcement. Scottsdale Republican Rep. Alexander Kolodin asked Navajo County Sheriff David Clouse at one point if he was ready to 'carry out the will of the voters.' At another point in the hearing, Nguyen said that voters overwhelmingly approved of Prop. 314 and it needed to be enforced. And Republicans rebuked concerns from Democratic lawmakers and reiterated that Prop. 314 was approved by voters. 'This proposition went to the ballot, went to the voters who passed this. Sixty-six percent of voters passed this,' Rep. John Gillette, R-Kingman, said, adding that 'mixed-status families' are breaking the law and 'can be arrested.' Critics focused on the impact the money would have on immigrant families. Lan Hoang, operations director for the Arizona Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander for Equity Coalition, said her group was concerned about spending state money to separate mixed immigration status families. Nguyen interrupted her during a tense exchange, and shot back that family separations happen 'every day.' 'We separate families all the time. If my son committed a crime, he would be separated from me,' Nguyen said . Rep. Lorena Austin, D-Mesa, shared Hoang's concerns, saying the bill is written in a 'very broad' way and that family separations have already seen an increase. 'It is a very complicated situation,' Austin said. 'We have many people living in fear.' President Donald Trump in the past has said he would be willing to deport mixed immigration status families. The bill passed out of committee with one Democrat, freshmen lawmaker Kevin Volk, who won in a competitive southern Arizona district, voting yes on the measure. The bill must still pass the House Appropriations Committee before it can be considered by the full House of Representatives. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
