On Monday, Arizona Speaker of the House Ben Toma introduced what has been described as one of the toughest anti-illegal immigration laws ever written. Toma introduced the “Protecting Arizona Against Illegal Immigration Act” as a November 2024 ballot initiative.
HCR2060 would shut down major loopholes that allow businesses to hire illegal immigrants, prohibit them from receiving taxpayer-funded welfare benefits, and make it a felony to knowingly help illegals break the law.
Last year, the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) published a report that showed the State of Arizona currently spends $2.3 BILLION every year on illegal aliens. In 2023 alone, 576,912 illegals were encountered at the Arizona U.S. border.
“We need to ensure illegal aliens don’t stay in Arizona to illegally obtain work and free benefits,” said Toma. “The invasion of illegals into our country is a cultural and financial catastrophe! It is incumbent upon Arizona to do its part to ensure that if you break our laws, there are real consequences. We need to make sure illegal aliens can’t take advantage of hardworking American pocketbooks.”
Toma says that unlike many past failed attempts by state lawmakers to crack down on illegal immigration, this law works by expanding the existing E-Verify law, which has already been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.
If passed by the voters, it will bring about real and meaningful change to Arizona, according to Toma.
Unless otherwise provided for in pre-existing law, the HCR2060 ballot measure’s main provisions:
- Make it a class 6 felony to knowingly assist illegal aliens in their efforts to break the law.
- Give Arizona’s law enforcement agencies greater resources to enforce immigration laws by instituting tough financial penalties for violations ($10,000 per offense).
- Require any state funded government agency or program which provides social welfare benefits to individuals to run them through E-Verify.
- Require businesses to run E-Verify when hiring independent contractors for the first time.
- Require any state agency that issues documentation, licensing, accreditation, or identification that is not immigration related to run an applicant through E-Verify.