Arizona border marshals are calling on voters to oppose sweeping border security measures mentioned by Republican lawmakers on the ballot.
If approved, Prop. 314 would give local law enforcement the power to arrest anyone who crosses the state border with Mexico other than at a legal port of entry. It also includes new penalties for trafficking fentanyl or using false documents to obtain employment or public benefits.
Santa Cruz County Sheriff David Hathaway said the sheriff’s department does not have the capacity to enforce immigration laws and that Proposition 314 would require jail space for those arrested under the proposed law. It said it does not include a financing mechanism to cover the costs associated with these new obligations, including providing for.
“We will be accepting prisoners without additional funding to prosecute these prisoners,” Hathaway said. “The prosecutor’s office, county attorney, and state’s attorney would also be required to prosecute these cases without additional funding for other support staff like probation and parole officers.”
Hathaway, a Democrat, also said immigration responsibilities would distract local law enforcement from other duties.
“Two priorities, violent crimes like assault and murder. Property crimes like fraud, robbery and theft. Those are our priorities,” Hathaway said. “If you try to make us immigration judges, that’s a distraction from what we’re supposed to be doing.”
Hathaway said Chris Nanos, a Democratic border sheriff from Pima County, also opposes the measure.
When Republican lawmakers first introduced the measure earlier this year, They also touted support from law enforcementMaricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell and Yavapai County Sheriff David Rose, president of the Arizona Sheriff’s Association.
They said the measures were necessary to combat human trafficking and fentanyl smuggling.
“It’s going to be perceived as controversial, but what I’m saying is, come up with a solution,” Mitchell said in May. “Don’t just criticize. Think about solutions because Arizonans are dying.”
Supporters of Prop. 314 argue that even areas that don’t share a border with Mexico, such as Mitchell’s Maricopa County and Rhodes’ Yavapai County, will be affected by what happens at the border.
Earlier this year, the Biden administration Adds Yavapai County to federal program The aim is to provide assistance to “areas with a high concentration of drug trafficking.”
According to the Cato InstituteMost of the fentanyl that enters the United States is trafficked by American citizens through legal ports of entry.
