BY GLORIA REBECCA GOMEZ | AZ MIRROR
Republican legislative leaders say a ballot referral headed for the November election that they claim would give Arizona the ability to enforce federal immigration law is constitutional, and a lawsuit aiming to prevent it from being considered by voters should be thrown out of court.
“HCR2060 satisfies the single-subject rule because its provisions relate to one general subject – harms stemming from an unsecure border,” wrote attorney Kory Langhofer, who is representing the GOP lawmakers.
House Concurrent Resolution 2060 is a compilation of Republican priorities that was sent to the November ballot after Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed the most controversial proposal in it: a near-identical copy of a Texas law that would allow Arizona police officers and judges to arrest and deport migrants crossing the state’s southern border anywhere but at an official port of entry. Putting the matter to voters circumvents Hobbs’ veto pen.
Just a day after the GOP majority greenlit the ballot measure, a Latino advocacy group launched a legal challenge against it in a bid to keep it off the ballot, arguing that it violates the Arizona Constitution’s requirement that ballot measures stick to one subject, making it unfit for voters to consider.
