Last week, the Senate brought new life to the illegal immigration issue by taking on House Bill HCR2060. This bill had been dormant for a while, after clearing the House 31-28, along party lines. A Daily Independent article on this may be read by clicking HERE.
This week, the Senate is continuing to advance HCR2060 by amending it with a strike-everything amendment that contains text fashioned after Texas’ SB4 law, plus some additional language dealing with penalties for various crimes related to illegal immigration. Those felonies fall into two categories.
First, this bill creates two new class 6 felonies for illegal aliens who try to submit false documents or information to evade Arizona’s E-Verify laws or to obtain taxpayer-funded public benefits.
Second, it establishes a new class 2 felony with enhanced prison sentences for drug dealers of illicit and deadly Fentanyl. The exponential increase in the amount of this drug in the U. S. is a direct result of the current administration’s posture on immigration.
The full text of this amendment may be accessed by clicking HERE.
For an easier-to-read summary, click HERE
The magnitude of the illegal immigration problem may be appreciated by looking at two sets of statistics.
The USA Facts organization is quoting Border Patrol figures for encounters with unauthorized immigrants. These numbers have increased dramatically during the Biden administration.
With such a high increase in the number of encounters, it would make sense to assume that the number of deportations has also increased substantially. However, the opposite is the case. According to the British Broadcasting Corporation, there has been a rather substantial reduction in the number of deportations by Biden.
Most likely, HCR2060 will pass along party lines and be available for a direct vote of the people as a ballot measure on the November, 2024 ballot, thus bypassing Hobbs’ veto.