Republicans are surprised and disappointed with Democrat Gov. Katie Hobbs for rejecting the Arizona Ice Act, saying they may try to bypass the governor with a vote referral.

SB 1164 would have blocked state agencies and local governments from adopting policies that would ban cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

Senate Speaker Warren Petersen (R-Gilbert), sponsoring the bill, accused Hobbes of rejecting the bill and playing a political game.

He said Hobbs would also consider decoupling the bill by voting for reelection to the governor.

“We’re looking at 18 months until the next election and the governor will be on the ballot, so some of the equations are: Are the focus being on getting a governor to sign the bill? Petersen said at a press conference Monday.

Hobbs wrote in her veto letter that she supports her working with the federal government. To ensure borders, however, she does not forcefully support state and local officials to adhere to all federal immigration policies.

Hobbs also detailed her own work on border security:

“I work productively with the federal government to secure borders, stop fentanyl at the task force’s safe port of entry, disrupt cartel operations with Operation Desert Guardian, and work at government at all levels to keep the border coordination and communities safe,” she writes.

The head of the Arizona Sheriff’s Association said Monday that he and his counterparts in all 14 counties should be enforced by state law to retain the person they arrested if they are wanted by immigration and customs enforcement.

Yavapai County Sheriff David Rhodes said at a press conference he was opposed to Hobbs’ veto.

Arizona’s ice laws specifically included the mandate for county sheriffs to respect the demands of “detainees” from the ice to hold “detainees” people arrested for state crimes until federal agencies were able to pick them up.

That’s what the sheriff can do now. And Rhodes said he believes the majority of sheriffs follow.

“But you have only a handful that isn’t,” he said.

Rhodes did not name it. But Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos is among those who said his agency would not be involved in ICE’s plans, including retaining people in the county jail for more than the state’s crimes they were arrested.

That said Rhodes was wrong.

“The state says, “If there’s someone in your custody and that person commits a crime, especially a violent crime, they’ll be subject to removal from this country, they have to notify the immigration authorities,” he said.

Petersen said he heard “anecdotes” about unrespected detainees in Arizona, but he’s seen them in the “public domain of other states” and wanted to make sure that doesn’t happen here.

Petersen said his bill served a public purpose. Allows immigration officials to detain people who are not legally detained here in prison.

Petersen showed that he did not list the bill as veto feed.

“I’m not interested in introducing a law that I don’t think the governor would sign because this bill started going through the process of making amendments,” he said.

Senate Democrats said in a statement that Hobbs’ veto means she is running for the rule of law.

“In the last 88 days, Trump has seen hundreds of immigrants illegally disappear without legitimate procedures. If the Arizona Ice Act is the law, our state’s law enforcement must support that unconstitutional process,” Democrats wrote. “Trump’s recent actions make it abundantly clear that he believes that, as long as he does so, he can banish, imprison and destroy someone without legal consequences before the court intervene.”