Republican lawmaker stops Texas border law from being voted on in Arizona
The Arizona Senate vote on a contentious border security bill, HCR 2060, also known as the Secure the Border Act, was delayed after Republican State Sen. Ken Bennett raised concerns about certain language within the bill. The legislation, fashioned after Texas’ SB 4, aims to empower local law enforcement to enforce federal border security laws by criminalizing illegal border crossings.
Senator Bennett specifically objected to a provision in the bill that addressed recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. He expressed worries that the bill’s language could potentially impact individuals who had obtained DACA status between 2012 and 2021. Bennett emphasized the importance of ensuring that no retrospective application of the law could adversely affect DACA recipients.
The vote of Senator Bennett holds particular significance due to the razor-thin majority of the Republican-led state senate, which cannot afford any defections, given the unanimous opposition from Democrats towards the bill. The absence of Republican State Sen. Justine Wadsack, attending to a family emergency in California, further complicated the outcome of the vote.
Arizona’s Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs joined in echoing concerns about the bill, stating that it would not effectively enhance border security but instead create challenges for local businesses, communities, and law enforcement. Governor Hobbs had previously vetoed a similar bill in March, which aimed to criminalize illegal border crossings and subsequently led to renewed efforts by Republican lawmakers to craft a revised version for voter consideration in November.
Republican State Senator Petersen defended the bill, emphasizing that DACA recipients were exempt from the law and asserting that the legislation primarily focused on border security rather than immigration concerns, distinguishing it from the controversial SB 1070 law of 2010, parts of which were invalidated by the Supreme Court in 2012.
The debate around the Secure the Border Act continues amid diverging viewpoints on its impact, effectiveness, and implications for both border security and the future of DACA recipients.
