Five months before the November elections, immigration remains a top concern for American voters. Lawmakers in Arizona voted Tuesday, June 4, to give voters a chance to determine how to handle illegal immigration in their state.
Come November, people in the Grand Canyon State will vote on a ballot measure that would make it a state crime to cross the border from Mexico into Arizona without authorization. The bill would empower state and local police to arrest illegal border crossers and allow state judges to order deportations.
In a 31-to-29 vote, the Republican-controlled House voted along party lines to add the measure to the Nov. 5 ballot. The Senate approved the measure last month.
During floor speeches, Democrats called the measure “racist” and said it would ruin Arizona’s economy. They added it was Congress’ job to fix the immigration system.
“In fact, an open letter from Arizona businesses, faith, and community leadership says we need real solutions to our broken immigration system, not election year scapegoating,” State Rep. Judy Schwiebert, D-Ariz., said.
On the other side, Republicans cited fentanyl overdoses and migrant crime, saying the ballot measure is necessary if the federal government won’t secure the border.
“I heard all three of you speak and say this is a federal issue and we have no business in it,” State Rep. John Gillette, R-Ariz., said. “It is a federal issue. The bill acknowledges that it’s a federal issue, but is the federal government doing their job? Absolutely not.”
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed similar legislation back in March and said this new measure “will hurt Arizona businesses, send jobs out of state, make it more difficult for law enforcement to do their jobs, and bust the state’s budget. It will not secure our border.”
The legislature’s approval of the ballot measure happened the same day President Biden signed an executive order that will shut down asylum requests at the southern border if illegal crossings surpass 2,500 per day.
The president said he blamed former President Donald Trump and Republicans for tanking a bipartisan border deal four months ago.
“So today, I’ll move past Republican obstruction and use the executive authorities available to me as president to do what I can on my own to address the border,” Biden said while introducing the executive order.
