Arizona Proposal to Criminalize the Undocumented

Republicans in the Arizona Senate have resurrected a proposal to make undocumented aliens in the state liable to arrest for "trespass". There would be criminal penalties attached. Also the proposal would prohibit any interference with the transfer of immigration information from local jurisdictions to federal. Finally, it would allow citizens to sue local jurisdictions for not cooperating in the enforcement of federal immigration laws. A similar bill had previously been vetoed by Janet Napolitano as governor. The proposal was also opposed by many local enforcement agencies because it would take away from real law enforcement. (See Arizona Republic article.)