Democrat Katie Hobbs has vetoed a bill aimed at strengthening cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities.
The bill, backed by Republican lawmakers, would have prohibited local jurisdictions from enacting “sanctuary city” policies that obstruct immigration enforcement. It also would have required local police to notify federal officials about illegal immigrants in custody, honor immigration detainers, and collaborate with the federal government in housing detainees awaiting deportation.
The legislation was designed to ensure that Arizona works as a partner—not a roadblock—in enforcing immigration law, particularly as the Biden administration’s open-border policies continue to flood border states with chaos and crime.
But Hobbs, whose administration has repeatedly shown hostility toward enforcement of immigration law, claimed in her veto statement that the bill would “force state and local officials to take marching orders from Washington,” apparently forgetting that enforcing federal law is not optional.
The veto comes in direct opposition to the will of Arizona voters. Recent polling shows a strong majority of Arizonans—63%—supported tougher immigration laws, including Proposition 314, which would criminalize illegal entry into the state. Another poll revealed growing concern over the federal government’s failure to secure the border, with most voters blaming the Biden administration.
Despite Hobbs’ veto, Republicans hold more seats in the state legislature—a reflection of voters’ rejection of the Democrats’ soft-on-crime, open-border platform. Arizona House Speaker-elect Steve Montenegro has said voters clearly want real solutions and stronger enforcement at the border.
In refusing to allow state officials to assist in immigration enforcement, Hobbs has once again shown that she is more aligned with the radical left’s sanctuary city ideology than with the safety and security concerns of everyday Arizonans.
