State Sen. Jake Hoffman wants to offer what he calls a bounty for law enforcement agencies that help federal officials deport immigrants without legal status.
The Queen Creek Republican’s bill would impose fees on wire transfers to countries outside the United States.
Those fees would be used to fund 2,500 grants — what Hoffman calls bounties — to law enforcement agencies that help capture and deport immigrants.
The bill passed a Senate hearing on party lines with strong Democratic opposition.
Sen. Lauren Kuby (D-Tempe) said she was outraged the Senate was even considering Hoffman’s proposal.
“Not only is this the ugliest, most hateful bill I've seen this session, it’s the ugliest bill I've seen in Arizona since I’ve been a resident,” she said.
Hoffman pushed back against critics who warned the bill could incentivize racial profiling by law enforcement.
“What’s not normal is more than 10 million illegal aliens invading this nation over the last four years. What’s not normal is the wanton disregard for federal immigration law over the last four years,” he told his colleagues.
A spokesperson for Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs said there’s “no way in hell” she’ll sign the bill.
“One must ask why we don't do this for other types of crimes? … The reason is because we want law enforcement to focus on overall public safety,” ACLU Noah Schramm told lawmakers. “You are going to powerfully incentivize those enforcement actions.”
The fees would be $25 for any payment under $500.
For wire transfers above $500, the fee would be $25 plus 5% of the total amount.
Sen. Wendy Rogers (R-Flagstaff) called that a “nominal” fee.
Sen. Flavio Bravo (D-Phoenix) questioned why Arizonans should be penalized for sending their own money where they want. He noted that when his wife lived in Mexico, he sent her money.
“The American dream isn’t just about preparing yourself for success, it's also about bringing up your family with you,” he said. “I don’t see anything wrong with them supporting loved ones abroad.”
Hoffman insisted the bill won’t cause racial profiling and accused Democrats of using fearmongering tactics. He said when undocumented immigrants send money to other countries, they’re exploiting the goodwill of America.
“This bill seeks to claw back some of those hard-earned dollars,” Hoffman said.
