Arizona Governor Vetoes Republicans’ ‘Border Invasion Act’

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) vetoed a Republican-backed bill on Monday that would have allowed state police to arrest illegal immigrants for breaking the law, calling the bill anti-immigrant and likely unconstitutional.

The “Arizona Border Invasion Act,” or S.B. 1231, would have allowed Arizona state authorities to arrest illegal aliens who cross the southern border unlawfully and impose penalties up to six months in prison for the first offense and two years maximum for subsequent violations.

While Hobbs has acknowledged that the border is in a state of crisis, with record flows of illegal immigrants gaining entry into the United States, she vetoed the border invasion act, saying it was “not the solution.”

“Anti-immigrant legislation to score cheap political points has no place in our state. SB1231 does not secure our border,” Hobbs said. “Instead, it demonizes our communities, hurts businesses and farmers, and burdens law enforcement and our judicial system.”

“I know there’s frustration about the federal government’s failure to secure our border, but this bill is not the solution. It is for these reasons, I will veto Senate Bill 1231.”

Arizona state Senate Republicans said in a statement Monday in response to the governor’s veto, “Senate Republicans are condemning Governor Katie Hobbs after she irresponsibly vetoed critical legislation today that would have provided law enforcement the ability to protect Arizonans from heinous crimes associated with Joe Biden’s border invasion.”

“As a direct result of the federal government’s failure to enforce existing immigration laws, tens of thousands of people illegally enter the United States through the southern Arizona border on a monthly basis, leading to an overwhelming abundance of criminal activity in our communities,” Senate Republicans said.

The state senators went on to point to human smuggling, child trafficking, “murders, drug trafficking, fentanyl overdoses, high-speed chases, subsequent deadly crashes, and other atrocities” — noting that “local law enforcement personnel have reached their breaking point trying to protect the lives of our citizens from this invasion.”

“The heart-wrenching February 22 murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley happened at the hands of a criminal who entered our country illegally. Arizona families are being torn apart by similar devastation,” said the bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Janae Shamp (R).

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