Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has vetoed a bill that would have allowed Americans to arrest illegal immigrants. Named as the number one immigration hotspot in America, the Grand Canyon State is at the front line of the migrant crisis, say analysts, and the Republican legislation was an attempt to address this and to keep US citizens safe.
Data reveals that migrant encounters at the Tucson sector rose by 182% last year, prompting Republicans to introduce the Border Invasion Act. The legislation mirrored a similar bill passed in Texas recently and made illegal border crossing a state crime and permitted law enforcement to make arrests.
It passed through the Republican-led legislature, but Hobbs struck it down, saying it did nothing to secure the US border. She said it would harm communities and be “burdensome” for police and the judicial system. Republican Sen. Janae Shamp, who introduced the bill, said Hobbs’ veto was another example of the “chaos” she has unleashed in the state while she encourages illegal immigration. Shamp labelled Hobbs “Biden’s accomplice.”
Meanwhile, the US Supreme Court blocked Texas’s efforts to enforce its new laws. Issued on March 4, an order by Justice Samuel Alito said the court would examine the legislation and return a decision at a later date. The order came after the Department of Justice asked the Supreme Court to intervene, arguing that allowing the Lone Star State to arrest illegal immigrants would alter the “status quo” that has existed on immigration for 150 years – namely that only the federal government can enforce migration laws.
The Supreme Court pause comes after a federal appeals court approved the legislation, prompting Governor Greg Abbott to reaffirm his stance that Texas has the right to defend itself and would do so. Abbott has already ignored a Supreme Court ruling ordering the Texas National Guard to remove razor wire along the Rio Grande. Following the order, Texas installed more wire and would not allow federal agents to remove it.
