By Marlyn Montilla
05 Mar 2024, 09:29 AM EST
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed a controversial bill that would give police the power to arrest immigrants suspected of entering the United States irregularly and give officers immunity in case of be sued.
The bill, SB 1231, called the Arizona Invasion Act, arrived on Hobbs’ desk after a maneuver by Republican legislators that bypassed the usual debate on the floor of the state House of Representatives.
The governor alleged that the legislation does not secure the border and “will be detrimental to our state’s communities and businesses and a burden on law enforcement personnel and the state’s judicial system.”
He also added that the project raises “significant constitutional concerns and would surely immerse the State in costly and protracted litigation.”
The immigration mandate would become one of the strictest laws in Arizona, allowing local and state police to question people’s immigration status. Likewise, it gave law enforcement agencies and agents “immunity” in case of lawsuits related to law enforcement.
For his part, Noah Schramm, representative of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Arizona, said in a statement that the legislation “was a blatantly unconstitutional and extreme anti-immigrant measure” that would have sent the state back in time.
“Legislation like SB 1231 has no place in Arizona, where immigrants are our friends, family and neighbors; But instead of protecting Arizona communities, extremist legislators are only concerned about inciting hateful divisions,” added the activist, who welcomed the veto.
The Arizona bill followed the example of a controversial recently passed Texas law that allows authorities to detain and expel to Mexico immigrants suspected of entering the country irregularly.
The legislation approved by Texas, which went into effect on March 4, caused a legal battle that reached the Supreme Court, which will have to verify whether the law is unconstitutional for assuming powers given only to the Federal Government.
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