The latest iteration of the costly and disastrous SB 1070 will be Proposition 314 on the November ballot.
By EJ Montini, The Arizona Republic
A reasonable lay person would have kicked the so-called “Secure the Border Act” off the November ballot because the name itself is a lie.
But a judge didn’t see it that way.
The courts don’t determine the validity of a ballot referral based on a title but on whether the content adheres to legal requirements for appearing before voters and, in this case, a judge held that the Republican-controlled Legislature’s ham-handed appeal to our worst prejudices made the cut.
So, unless opponents can pull a last-minute legal rabbit out of the hat, a warmed over version of the disastrous Senate Bill 1070 will be on the ballot.
It would essentially turn police officers into border patrol agents no matter where in the state they work.Like SB 1070, it’s a show-me-your-papers disaster, the kind that caused a colossal amount of unnecessary hardship and resentment and has cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.
Just like SB 1070, except perhaps even more so
This new version will be no better.
The nonpartisan Grand Canyon Institute issued a report estimating that the GOP’s latest iteration of that law could cost taxpayers at least $325 million a year, and possibly a lot more.
On your very crowded ballot will be titled Proposition 314.
The people behind it are counting on the fact that a ballot that’s jam packed with political races, initiatives and referendums will cause many voters to gloss over the details of each and every question put them.
Meaning, a proposition supposedly promoting border security, which has absolutely nothing to do with securing the border, might pass.
Due process shouldn't depend on the color of your skin
Alejandra Gomez, executive director of the nonprofit LUCHA (Living United for Change in Arizona) issued a statement on the proposition saying, “If Prop. 314 reaches the ballot box this November, many Arizonans will be disproportionately targeted and subjected to suspicion and persecution. This discriminatory legislation will lead to over-policing in every community across our state.
“Arizonans, even those hundreds of miles from the border, will be under the intense scrutiny of law enforcement. A routine traffic stop could quickly escalate into an inquiry about citizenship status and possible detainment based solely on the color of your skin and your last name.”
We saw from SB 1070 the kind of ill will that legislation like this can create, and the damage it can do to the state’s reputation.
When the GOP was pushing the referendum through the Legislature, Noah Schramm from the ACLU of Arizona said the proposal “violates fundamental due process protections for immigrants and creates an entire state system of immigration enforcement impacting all Arizonans.”
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How do we know such a thing is a horrible idea?
Sometimes, the people behind such things say the quiet thing out loud. During a testy back and forth between state senators, visitors in the state Capitol gallery hissed their disagreement with Republican state Sen. John Kavanagh.
He replied, “I’m sorry if I offended any criminals in the gallery.”
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