Proposition 314 would make it a state crime to enter Arizona by crossing the state’s border with Mexico outside of a legal port of entry, and it would empower local and state law enforcement to arrest people for violating that law.
Living United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA), Poder in Action and other groups argued the proposal, referred to the ballot by Republican lawmakers, runs afoul of the state Constitution, claiming it deals with a broad range of unrelated topics.
Specifically, the groups claimed separate sections dealing with illegal border crossings and fentanyl trafficking violate a state constitutional provision requiring individual pieces of legislation to stick to a single subject.
But, last week, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Scott Minder disagreed. He found all parts of the bill related to problems resulting from an unsecured border.
Jim Barton, an attorney for LUCHA, said the plaintiffs have filed an appeal with the Arizona Supreme Court.
The Arizona Secretary of State’s Office said the case must be resolved by Aug. 22 so ballots can be printed, according to a scheduling order signed by Supreme Court Justice Kathryn King.
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Former Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake said she has a new job as the director of the federal Voice of America broadcasting network. There’s more to the hiring process.
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Immigration has been a major issue in Arizona and across the country for decades, and undocumented young people have often been a driving force in that conversation.
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A hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday morning looked at how mass deportations promised by the incoming Trump administration would impact families, the military and the labor market.
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A new rule issued by the Department of Homeland Security will allow immigrants with expired work permits to continue working as they await renewals.
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Threats of mass deportations have dominated the runup to President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration so far. But this weekend, Trump told "Meet the Press" he wanted to help DACA recipients stay in the U.S.