(The Center Square) – Arizona Republicans are going to put forth more concurrent resolutions in order to push forward border security policy.
The lawmakers held a news conference on Monday morning to lay out the next steps for their goals. Republicans emphasized numerous other bills they hope the governor will sign, including ones giving tougher sentences for fentanyl-related crimes, cracking down on social media usage for cartel activities, and anti-child trafficking measures.
Republican Sen. Janae Shamp’s “Arizona Border Invasion Act” ended up being the first veto of the legislative session by Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs.
“This bill does not secure our border, will be harmful for communities and businesses in our state, and burdensome for law enforcement personnel and the state judicial system,” Hobbs stated in her veto letter of Senate Bill 1231, The Center Square reported.
The bill would have made it a state crime to enter Arizona through a non-legal entry point.
“All we’re trying to do is stand for the citizens of the state of Arizona,” Shamp said.
“The Biden administration is intentionally failing,” Arizona Republican Party Chairwoman Gina Swoboda said at the news conference.
The lawmakers noted that there are a few concurrent resolutions that are bound for the ballot in November on border matters, but they said more could be on the way if Hobbs continues to veto their bills.
Shamp and a handful of other Republican senators held up signs in protest to Hobbs at a news conference she spoke at last week on contraception access.
The governor made waves last year by vetoing over 140 Republican-supported bills, including ones related to the border and illegal immigration.
Hobbs has opposed the Biden administration’s handling of the crisis and deployed National Guard troops following the temporary Lukeville Port of Entry closure, but she has also butted heads with Republicans on how to best tackle the issue.
Arizona’s Tucson sector is one of the nation’s busiest for migrant encounters, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.
