PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona voters will decide whether to allow local police to detain immigrants suspected of entering the state illegally from Mexico; This authority would infringe on the federal government’s authority over immigration enforcement, but would not take effect immediately.

If Arizona voters approve Proposition 314, it would become the latest state to test the limits of what local officials can do to curb illegal immigration. GOP lawmakers last year Texas, Iowa And Oklahoma They passed immigration laws. In each case, federal courts halted states’ efforts to enforce them.

Arizona, the only presidential battleground state bordering Mexico, is no stranger to sharp divisions over immigration policy. Since the early 2000s, frustration with federal enforcement on Arizona’s border with Mexico has inspired a movement to pull local police departments, which traditionally leave border duties to the federal government, into immigration enforcement.

State Legislature approved Migrant smuggling ban in 2005 It allowed then-Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio to carry out a crackdown on immigrants, a 2007 ban on employers knowingly hiring people in the country illegally, and a landmark 2010 immigration law that required police to question the legal status of people suspected of immigration while enforcing other laws. Being in the country without permission.

Arizona voters have been asked to decide on immigration issues before. They passed a 2004 law that illegally denied some government aid to people in the country and a 2006 law declaring English the official language of Arizona. They also rejected a 2008 proposal that would have made business-friendly revisions to state law banning employers from hiring people who are in the country without permission.

While Arizona GOP lawmakers say the proposal is needed to help secure the border, they are blaming the Biden administration for it. An unprecedented increase in illegal immigration. Save levels Illegal crossings have decreased It follows moves by the White House to tighten asylum restrictions in recent months.

Opponents of Proposition 314 argue it would harm Arizona’s economy and reputation and also lead to racial profiling of Latinos. They talk about the profiling that Latinos were subjected to while Arpaio led the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. in 2013 federal judge ruled Arpaio’s traffic patrols targeting immigrants included racial profiling of Latinos, leading to a court-ordered overhaul of the agency. Expected to cost taxpayers $314 million Legal and compliance costs by mid-summer 2025.

Kelli Hykes, who works in health policy and volunteered for Greg Whitten, the Democratic candidate in Arizona’s 8th Congressional District race, said she carefully considered how to vote on the immigration measure but declined to share her choice.

“It’s a very polarizing situation and there are people in my family who will vote one way and I vote the other,” Hykes said.

Proposition 314 would make it a state crime for people to enter Arizona illegally from Mexico outside of official ports of entry, allowing local and state law enforcement to detain them and state judges to order their deportation. Those who enforce the law will be protected from civil lawsuits.

However, these provisions will not be put into practice immediately. A violator cannot be prosecuted until a similar law in Texas or another state has been in effect for 60 consecutive days.

Arizona GOP lawmakers voted to put the measure to the vote They were referring to Texas Senate Bill 4. The bill was signed into law by Texas Governor Greg Abbott. in decemberIt was supposed to allow local and state law enforcement to arrest people accused of entering Texas illegally from Mexico.

A. federal appeals court puts matter on hold In March. The following month, a panel of federal judges heard a Texas attorney who defended the law and Justice Department lawyers who argued it encroached on the federal government’s authority to enforce immigration law. The panel has not yet announced its decision.

Other provisions of Proposition 314 are not tied to similar laws outside of Arizona. If voters approve the measure, it would immediately make the sale of fentanyl that results in the death of a person a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and would make it a crime for noncitizens to submit false documents when applying for jobs or seeking local benefits. state and federal programs.

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Gabriel Sandoval is a syndicated member of the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. report for america is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.