TUCSON, Arizona – Sheriffs in counties along the Arizona-Mexico border reject the HCR 2060one of the most drastic state immigration laws in the country, which would force sheriffs and police officers to detain and deport undocumented foreigners.
Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels, who is a Republican known for harshly criticizing the Biden Administration’s immigration policies, said that The proposal does not provide the necessary funding to police departments for its implementation.
“Arresting drug traffickers, seizing fentanyl has already added millions of dollars to our budget, enforcing this legislation would have a triple effect,” Dannels said.
The measure, whose approval will be decided by voters in the 2024 elections, expands the powers of police departments and courts in Arizona to arrest, imprison and deport migrants who do not have authorization to live in the United States and authorizes local judges to issue deportation orders.
“This proposal is terrible, it’s complete stupidity. They want to force departments like mine to become Border Patrol agents,” said David Halhaway, sheriff of Santa Cruz County, where the city of Nogales is located.
Halhaway indicated that one of his biggest concerns is the harm that this project, HCR-2060, could cause among minority communities if approved.
In this county, which covers part of Arizona’s border with Mexico, 95% of its residents are of Hispanic origin.
“They have Latin surnames like Gonzalez and Martinez, they speak with an accent and listen to music in Spanish, how am I going to have to verify the documents of almost all the people, including those who live in Nogales,” the Democratic sheriff questioned.
If approved, the proposal would also require state agencies to verify the immigration status of people applying for public assistance, and would establish harsher penalties for those who submit false documentation to apply for employment or public benefits.
“This is an extremely racist proposal, and it is being pushed by the political interests of Republicans seeking re-election,” Halhaway said.
The proposal was approved by the Arizona Assembly to go to the ballot and thus avoid a veto by Arizona Governor, Democrat Katie Hobbs, who has vetoed similar initiatives in the past.
Hathaway believes that enforcing immigration laws iscorresponds only to the federal government“It is absurd to think that we will have to fill local jails with undocumented immigrants, it is not logical,” he said.
“The number of border agents in my county is three times the number of agents I have, it would be almost impossible to be able to provide security to our community while having to add immigration agent functions,” he stressed.
For his part, Republican Dannels said that what is needed is for the federal government to “do its job” and stop the crossing of undocumented immigrants.
“The concern for police departments is that without state funding, this initiative will collapse the police departments’ budgets in a few months,” he added.
The HCR-2060 is similar to the Texas SB4 Lawin which the state did provide extra funding to police departments.
Meanwhile, activists from Living Together for Change in Arizona (LUCHA) are fighting in the courts to prevent this proposal, which they compare to the controversial SB1070 law of 2010, from reaching the ballot box.
Alejandra Gomez, executive director of LUCHA, said the measure violates the state Constitution, which states that legislative proposals must address a single issue rather than grouping together several like HCR-2060.
“This proposal would open the door to racial profiling and discrimination against our Latino community, just as SB-1070 did,” the activist said.
SB-1070 gave police departments the right to question the immigration status of drivers “suspected” of being undocumented.
The legislation, which reached the courts, is still in force somewhat weakened and Only allows police departments to call immigration services when they suspect a person’s immigration status.
If the immigration agency does not respond within a reasonable time, they must let the person go if they have not committed a serious crime.
The HCR-2060 goes one step furtherauthorizing police to arrest and detain people based on their immigration status.
By Maria Leon
Continue reading:
• The Arizona Senate approved placing on the ballot a law that would authorize the arrest of immigrants
• Business leaders and religious leaders reject “invasion law” in Arizona that seeks to detain immigrants
• Arizona Republicans move forward with bill legalizing shooting of immigrants
