The Arizona Senate approved including on the ballot a law that will authorize the arrest of immigrants

The Arizona Senate approved on Wednesday to put an anti-immigrant measure to a vote in the 2024 elections that would allow state police to detain undocumented immigrants crossing the border, similar to Texas Law SB4.

With 16 votes in favor and 13 against, The Republican majority of the Senate managed to advance the Immigration measure HCR 2060also called the “Border Security Act” that still needs to be approved in the state House of Representatives to be included on the ballot.

Supporters say the initiative aims to secure the southern border, address the fentanyl crisis and regulate undocumented immigration.

HCR2060 would criminalize undocumented immigration, giving local police the power to arrest immigrants who cross the border irregularly.

Additionally, the proposal would grant civil immunity to local government officials and police for harm to the community while enforcing the law.

Also makes it a misdemeanor for a person to present false documents to evade the federal E-verify program, which checks if people have permission to work.

The Arizona House of Representatives will vote on the measure next month. If approved, the initiative will be on the November ballot.

Republican lawmakers have sought to leave the measure in the hands of voters to avoid the veto of the governor of Arizona, Democrat Katie Hobbs, that has managed to block several anti-immigrant measures.

Noah Schramm, of the American Civil Rights Union (ACLU) of Arizona, criticized the Republican initiative in a statement. “HCR2060 violates fundamental due process protections for immigrants and creates a statewide immigration enforcement system that impacts all Arizona residents,” he said.

The Chief of the San Luis Police Department, Nigel Reynoso, also joined the voices of rejection and said in a statement that the measure would impose an additional burden on his agency.

“Frankly, we also lack the resources. I do not want my officers to have the responsibility of enforcing federal law without the adequate funding our department needs. “I cannot support this version of the bill,” Reynoso said.

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