Opponents say it will have disastrous effects on Arizona’s economy and lead to racial profiling, On Wednesday, Senate Republicans took the first step in sending a package of border policies to the November ballot.
Gloria Rebecca Gomez
The GOP majority in the state legislature has made addressing illegal immigration a priority this year in an effort to respond to voter concerns, which for the first time since 2019 rank immigration at the top of the list. Party leaders championed proposals that take a punitive approach, including one to make crossing the state’s southern border a crime punishable with jail time and another that sought to expand the use of E-verify and bar undocumented people from accessing local resources.
But, faced with Gov. Katie Hobbs’ veto stamp and one rejection already on record, Republicans are looking to voters to approve what the governor won’t.
“We are putting border security policy to the voters,” said Senate President Warren Petersen during a Wednesday afternoon news conference. “The voters are going to get the opportunity to decide border security issues and safety for the state — they’re going to be able to decide to keep Arizona safe.”
What’s in the proposal?
House Concurrent Resolution 2060 is a wide-ranging combination of legislation that previously failed, and includes revised versions of two high priority proposals backed by Petersen and House Speaker Ben Toma.
Originally, the resolution sought to broaden who has to use the federal online database, E-Verify, which helps businesses verify employment eligibility. The initial proposal, backed by Toma, would have required use of E-Verify in labor sectors that are currently exempt, such as the construction industry and for entrepreneurs. It would also have imposed $10,000 fines against employers who failed to use the database and were found to have undocumented immigrants on the payroll.
But Toma’s proposal faced intense criticism from the business community behind the scenes, and Petersen blocked it from moving forward in the upper chamber.
