By Howard Fischer
Mail | X: @azcapmedia

With a veto, Gov. Katie Hobbs refused to be told by state lawmakers that she must "enforce, administer and cooperate with federal actions, orders and programs that relate to the enforcement of federal immigration laws.''

The proposal is one of several being pushed by Republicans who say they want state and local officials to do all they can to help the Trump administration round up and deport those here illegally. This one, sponsored by Rep. Teresa Martinez, R-Casa Grande, not only imposed the requirement on the governor but also the attorney general as well as all cities, towns and counties.

"When I assumed the role of governor, I pledged to uphold both the U.S. Constitution and the Arizona Constitution, as did each of you,'' she wrote in her veto message to lawmakers. And Hobbs said she has worked with the federal government to secure the border, stop the flow of fentanyl and disrupt cartel operations.

But she said these are decisions that must be made locally.

"Arizonans, not Washington, D.C. politicians, must decide what's best for Arizona,'' the governor said.

Hobbs also rejected a related proposal that would have required county jails to transmit daily to Immigration and Customs Enforcement the name, address, date of birth, gender and Social Security number of anyone arrested for certain offenses. These range from larceny and shoplifting to burglary, assault on a law enforcement officer and any other offense that results in death or serious bodily injury.

The legislation is one in a series of measures designed to ensure that local governments cooperate with ICE to identify and remove those not here legally. But the governor called it unnecessary.

"Existing state law already bans sanctuary cities,'' she said.

"I expect state and local governments to uphold the law and work with the federal government to secure the border,'' Hobbs wrote in her veto message. "However, this places extreme burdens on local law enforcement.''

We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.