(PatriotWise.com) — Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs on Monday vetoed a bill that would have given local police the authority to arrest foreign nationals who cross the Mexican border at any location other than a port of entry, the Associated Press reported.
Senate Bill 1231, the “Arizona Border Invasion Act,” was approved by the Republican-controlled state legislature in late February.
Since Texas has cracked down on illegal border crossings, illegal aliens have flocked to the Arizona border. The bill would have empowered local law enforcement to arrest illegals who cross into Arizona from any location except a lawful port of entry.
In her veto statement, Hobbs, a Democrat, claimed that SB 1231 would not secure the border and argued that it would be “harmful” to the state’s businesses and communities while further burdening local law enforcement and the courts.
Republican state Senator Janae Shamp, the sponsor of the “Arizona Border Invasion Act,” said Hobbs’ veto was further proof that the Democrat governor was “unleashing” chaos in the state by “perpetuating” the border crisis “as Biden’s accomplice.”
Shamp described the governor’s veto as a “slap in the face” to Arizona communities along the border and the “victims of border-related crimes,” according to Just the News.
Under federal immigration law, unauthorized entry into the United States is already illegal. However, Republicans in both Texas and Arizona have argued that the Biden administration is failing to enforce the law and that additional state powers are needed to ensure that the law is enforced.
The Supreme Court on Monday paused enforcement of a similar law in Texas pending a challenge by the Biden administration.
A US District Court judge temporarily halted the Texas law from taking effect in late February. However, on March 1, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the lower court’s decision and allowed the law to go into effect on Sunday, March 3.
The Biden Justice Department then petitioned the Supreme Court to intervene.
The high court’s pause, issued by Justice Samuel Alito, delayed the law’s implementation until at least March 13. Justice Alito gave Texas until March 11 to respond to the administration’s petition.
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