I'm reaching out because Arizona's Prop 314 — the Secure the Border Act — went into effect on July 14, and a federal court just declined to block it. That means state criminal penalties for unauthorized border crossings are being enforced right now, and the communities I live near are already on edge.
Here's what worries me. This law puts local Arizona law enforcement in the middle of federal immigration decisions — work they aren't funded or trained to handle. When local officers are pulled into immigration enforcement, response times for actual crimes go up, community trust breaks down, and families who pay taxes and run businesses here stop calling for help when they need it. We've seen this pattern before. It doesn't make anyone safer. It just makes certain neighbors invisible, and that hurts everyone. The ACLU and the Florence Project went to court to stop this because real people's lives are being disrupted right now — families separated, workers detained, and Arizona businesses losing the people they depend on. The court didn't stop it, which means it's on our state legislature to step up.
I'm asking you to publicly oppose the enforcement of Prop 314 and work with your colleagues to amend or repeal the provisions that criminalize crossings at the state level. Arizona taxpayers should not be footing the bill for a parallel immigration enforcement system that duplicates federal authority and invites years of expensive litigation. Please use your voice and your vote to protect Arizona communities from the real harm this law is causing today.
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