Elected officials in Arizona decided on Tuesday to organize a referendum around a controversial bill on immigration, on which voters in this state in the southwest of the United States will have to vote during the elections. november.
This project, inspired by a law in Texas, would make illegal immigration a crime in the justice system of this state bordering Mexico and would give local judges the power to expel illegal migrants from the country.
In the United States, however, border control falls under federal jurisdiction, under the Constitution.
This vote comes on the same day as Joe Biden signed an executive order allowing the United States to temporarily close its border with Mexico to illegal migrants seeking asylum.
The Arizona bill, backed by local Republicans, is the latest to address the explosive issue of immigration in the state where the increase in the number of migrants in recent years has been keenly felt.
Arizona is one of those states that could swing the November presidential election. In 2020, Joe Biden won by just 10,000 votes.
Republicans hope that by putting this issue on the ballot, they will attract supporters to the polls and also vote for the party’s candidates, including Trump.
The Democrats hope to unite those against the measure, while Joe Biden himself has toughened his immigration policy.
Iowa and Oklahoma have also adopted laws based in part on Texas.
In Texas, the law was suspended by a federal appeals court, but its supporters say they want to continue the fight all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States, made up of a majority of judges known to be conservative.
