(The Center Square) – An Arizona law ensuring the state’s cooperation with federal enforcement of immigration laws is heading to Gov. Katie Hobbs’ desk for her possible signature.
The Arizona Immigration, Cooperation and Enforcement Act, commonly known as the AZ ICE Act, was passed by the Arizona House Thursday, two days after Tom Homan, President Donald Trump’s border czar, addressed a joint session of the Arizona Legislature. The law, Senate Bill 1164, received support from all of the House’s Republicans.
The GOP has a majority in both the House and Senate, which passed the law along party lines Feb. 27.
The AZ ICE Act prohibits state government entities from adopting or enforcing any policies that block or restrict law enforcement from cooperating with federal authorities enforcing immigration laws. If cities, towns or counties fail to comply, state legislators may file a complaint with the attorney general to request an investigation. If the attorney general’s investigation shows a state law was violated, state-shared revenues may be withheld from the municipality.
The bill also requires sheriffs and the Arizona Department of Corrections to comply with immigration detainer requests, which prevents criminal illegal immigrants from being released.
“I applaud my colleagues in both the House and Senate for supporting this vital action to help safeguard our communities from dangerous criminal illegal aliens,” Senate President Warren Petersen said in a statement Thursday.
“After worthwhile deliberation, the AZ ICE Act will soon be on the governor’s desk for her consideration,” Petersen, R-Gilbert, said. “For the good of our state, I hope she signs this bill. It’s time for the Governor to to put politics and partisan animosity towards President Trump aside.
“Our citizens deserve nothing less than all levels of government cooperating to uphold our laws and protect innocent men, women and children from the harms caused by the Biden Administration’s open border policies,” Petersen said.
House Speaker Steve Montenegro told The Center Square in an exclusive interview Tuesday that he expects Hobbs to sign the bill.
“Why would the governor not sign a piece of legislation that would protect the public, especially since Arizonans have spoken loud and clear in their communities?” Montenegro said.
Hobbs has expressed support for cooperating with federal authorities on cracking down on border crimes. In February, the Democratic governor signed an executive order creating Operation Desert Guardian, a joint task force to expand border security operations in Arizona’s four counties along the border with Mexico. The task force is a partnership among local law enforcement, sheriffs and the federal government to disrupt transnational criminal organizations operating in Yuma, Pima, Santa Cruz and Cochise counties.
But Hobbs and Democrats in the Legislature have also been vocal critics of the Trump administration. Members of the Democratic minority in the Legislature protested Tuesday by walking out of the House moments after Homan, the border czar, began his address.
“Tom Homan is not welcome in Arizona,” state Sen. Analise Ortiz, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Elections Committee, later said in a news release. “The immigrants who have called Arizona home, the families that help the economy, who help take care of their community. They are welcome here.”
The issue isn’t border militarization, but a broken immigration system and bad foreign policy, said another Democrat, Rep. Anna Abeytia.
Homan addressed the walkout during his speech.
“If they saw what I saw in my 40 years, if they saw what the border sheriffs see everyday on the border, they’d understand, but they’re ignorant,” Homan said during his speech. “They don’t want to learn.”
“We’re going to enforce the laws of this country without apology so that’s why there’s going to be massive deportations operations because the last administration caused a massive illegal immigration crisis, where 90% of the people shouldn’t be here,” he said.
