Arizona: Hobbs rejects state-federal cooperation on immigration enforcement

Arizona's Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed a Republican-backed bill that would have required state and local law enforcement to cooperate with federal authorities on immigration enforcement.

Hobbs defended her decision by stating that it should be the citizens of Arizona — not politicians or federal directives from the Trump administration — who decide what is best for their state.

"Arizonans, not Washington, D.C., politicians, must decide what’s best for Arizona. I will continue to work with the federal government on true border security, but we should not force state and local officials to take marching orders from Washington, D.C.," Hobbs wrote in a letter sent to state Senate President Warren Petersen.

Had it passed, Senate Bill 1164 would have allowed the Trump administration to direct state and local authorities to detain undocumented immigrants until Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could take them into custody.

The Arizona Democratic Party welcomed Hobbs' decision, stating that the proposed policy would have only led to "racial profiling, sowing division and fear."

Republicans, through Senator Petersen—the bill’s main sponsor—argued that the measure aimed to be “a partner, not an obstacle,” in helping the Trump administration address the immigration crisis in one of the states most impacted by it.