PHOENIX – Today, Arizonans face an urgent and alarming threat as Senate Republicans passed HCR 2060, an insidious bill designed to target and harm communities across Arizona. Despite mounting opposition from business leaders, faith groups, and community organizations, Republicans continue to advance one of the most racially discriminatory pieces of legislation in the state’s history. No amendment or modification can make HCR 2060 constitutional or an acceptable piece of legislation; it remains a racially discriminatory bill threatening Arizona's Black and brown communities.
Vague Definition of Probable Cause
Due to no geographical restrictions, HCR 2060 vaguely defines probable cause, allowing law enforcement to make unconstitutional assumptions based on the color of an individual's skin and the language they speak. This will place black and brown Arizonans hundreds of miles away from the border under constant threat of being harassed and detained.
Fentanyl Crisis
Moreover, this bill does not in any wat address the fentanyl crisis, as 86.3% of convicted fentanyl traffickers are U.S. citizens and over 90% of fentanyl seizures occur at main ports of entry, not “illegal migration routes”. Just 0.02% of those arrested by Border Patrol for crossing illegally possessed any fentanyl. This bill fails to enhance community safety or address the economic issues Arizonans are facing. Source: CATO Institute
Unfunded Burden
Throughout the process, Republicans have downplayed and blatantly concealed from the media and the public eye the true impact of HCR 2060 on Arizona’s economy and its communities. The Grand Canyon Institute estimates an annual cost of at least $325 million, excluding additional law enforcement expenses and potential reputational damage, which could total $1 billion. Not including additional, undisclosed law enforcement expenses and reputational damages to the state, which could reach $1 billion.
In short, the Arizona GOP proposes that Arizona voters/taxpayers pass their failed policies that would unleash civil rights violations on their communities, and then foot the bill for increased detention centers, neighborhood raids, rampant racial profiling, and the separation of families. All while giving law enforcement full civil immunity.
“We remember too well how law enforcement weaponized SB1070 to target black and brown Arizonans across the state, in urban cities, across Arizona. We remember the raids, and the family separations that devastated cities and towns,” said Alejandra Gomez Executive Director of LUCHA. “If you are black or brown in the state of Arizona under HCR 2060 you are not safe from being persecuted or detained. And that is exactly the message Republicans want to deliver. HCR 2060 is a monstrous reincarnation of SB 1070, poised to destroy Arizona’s communities and drive families across Arizona into hiding out of fear and persecution. “Make no mistake as long as Arizona Republicans have the power to push their hate agenda, they will never stop trying to turn Arizona into a personal playground for Donald Trump’s policies.”
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