Republicans in the Arizona Legislature have voted to block a border security funding package from making its way to Santa Cruz County. Law-enforcement leaders there have criticized a border measure passed by Arizona voters this year that made it a state crime to cross the border illegally.
Santa Cruz County is a bustling cross-border community and trade hub. State Sen. John Kavanagh said it would be cut out of a $250,000 border security package because county Sheriff David Hathaway won’t enforce Proposition 314.
As Hathaway says, portions of the law aren’t in effect, anyway.
“But Sen. Kavanaugh made statements in the state Legislature that since Hathaway won’t enforce this, he’s not getting the money down in Santa Cruz County. Well, no one else is going to enforce it either. It’s not in effect,” he said.
Prop. 314’s provision giving immigration-related arrest authority to local law enforcement is on hold while a similar law in Texas is litigated. Arizona’s SB1070 — which gave the same arrest authority — was ruled illegal by the Supreme Court.
Hathaway has said his county doesn’t have resources or training for those types of arrests. He said his office would have used the new funding on normal operations — like communications and vehicles. He argues Kavanaugh went against the advice of state entities like DPS that said Santa Cruz County should receive the funds.
“And just unilaterally say, ‘this is my option as the chairman, Santa Cruz County is not gonna get this money unless Hathaway recants what he has previously said opposing 314,’ which I’m obviously not going to do," Hathaway said.
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