(USNewsBreak.com) – Millions of immigrants have crossed into the country since President Joe Biden took office in January 2021. He signed an executive order to close the border until the numbers declined to an acceptable figure. The border states are taking matters into their own hands, including in Arizona, where Conservatives are fighting to implement their own controls. A court recently dismissed a bid to keep Proposition 314 off the ballots this November.
What Is Proposition 314?
Proposition 314, entitled “Secure the Border Act,” aims to control immigration into Arizona. If passed, it will make entering the state at any point other than a port of entry a state-level crime for any non-citizen. As such, local and state police could arrest those offenders, and state judges would have the authority to order deportations.
A yes vote for Proposition 314 would also mandate that state agencies use the E-Verify program to determine an individual’s immigration status before they could provide public welfare or financial aid. If an immigrant submitted false information, the state could charge them with a Class 6 felony. The measure also increases the penalty for selling fentanyl to a Class 2 felony if that sale results in a death.
Court Dismisses Move To Prevent Measure
Activist groups immediately challenged the measure, saying it violated the Arizona Constitution, which mandates that measures must only tackle one topic. Proposition 314 addresses three. Judge Scott Minder of the Maricopa County Superior Court disagreed, ruling that all of the provisions related to a single subject matter, making the proposition legally viable.
In his opinion, Judge Minder said the legislative points all tied together “under the subject of responses to harms related to an unsecured border.”
State Senator Janae Shamp (R) said the legislature “worked tirelessly this session to create impactful legislation to help secure our border,” asserting that “the federal government has neglected the safety of [its] citizens.” She expressed hope that the measure would save lives and taxpayer dollars while helping to strengthen national security.
Jim Barton, an attorney for Living United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA), one of the activist groups involved in the legal challenge, said they had filed an appeal to the Arizona Supreme Court. According to the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office, time is of the essence in the case because the courts must resolve the issue by August 22 for the measure to appear on November’s ballot.
Copyright 2024, USNewsBreak.com
