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We’ve made it to the end of another exciting week at the state Capitol! I’m Camryn Sanchez with KJZZ’s Politics Desk, and border security remains the hot topic of conversation between lawmakers and other elected officials.
After setting a veto record last year, Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed her first bill of the session last Monday. That bill — dubbed “the new SB 1070” by critics — would have made it a state crime to cross the border outside a designated port of entry (which is already illegal under federal law).
Legislative Republicans joined together this week to condemn Hobbs’ decision, and said they plan to send that proposal right back to her desk.
Additionally, if and when the bill is vetoed again, Republicans said they might send the question to voters in the upcoming election — bypassing Hobbs’ veto stamp altogether.
Hobbs said the bill is illegal and would likely entangle Arizona in an expensive lawsuit. The bill is based on a Texas law that’s already facing a legal challenge that has made it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
That’s not to say Hobbs isn’t critical of the federal government’s handling of border issues, though. This week she requested an allocation of hundreds of millions of dollars from the U.S. Senate and House appropriations committees for border-related expenses.
Republican lawmakers have several other border proposals lined up at the Capitol. They want to increase the penalties for crimes like human smuggling, child sex trafficking, fentanyl dealing, and unlawful flight from law enforcement. A delegation of lawmakers is also making a trip down to the border on Saturday.
— Camryn Sanchez, field correspondent
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