By Emilie Eaton | Cronkite News Service
In Capitol Hill testimony Thursday, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu dismissed a Senate immigration-reform bill, urging House members to back an alternative plan instead that focuses on law enforcement and gives more authority to local police.
Babeu, testifying before the House Judiciary Committee, said the so-called Gang of Eight bill being debated in the Senate does not do enough to secure the border.
“We must secure the border first, prior to any discussion of green cards and a path to citizenship” for the millions of people in this country illegally, he said.
But the alternative plan backed by Babeu, the Strengthen and Fortify Enforcement Act, would open the door to racial profiling by police, opponents said. The bill mimics parts of Arizona’s Senate Bill 1070 immigration-enforcement law, which was partially overturned by the Supreme Court last year.
