Voters in Arizona will soon determine whether unlawful border crossings qualify as a state offense.
A new ballot measure that would strengthen local officials’ authority to enforce federal immigration law will be up for approval by Arizona voters this election. Proposition 314 would allow local law enforcement to question, arrest, detain, and prosecute anyone suspected of crossing the border between Arizona and Mexico between authorized ports of entry. Voters in Arizona would choose to adopt Texas’ SB 4, which permits local law enforcement to enforce federal immigration law, if the ballot measure is approved. Due to legal challenges, the law is currently on hold. Immigration advocates are also concerned that the measure will return Arizona to the days of the “show me your papers” law, which was the most stringent immigration law in the nation when it was passed in 2010 and caused economic harm and boycotts before a large portion of the law was declared unconstitutional. SB 1070 gave local law enforcement the authority to demand proof of authorization from anyone suspected of being undocumented, even during a routine traffic stop. Later, the law was declared unconstitutional.