Arizona House speaker introduces proposal to crack down on illegal immigration

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) — Facing a crowded Republican primary for Congress, Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma unveiled his plan on Monday to crack down on illegal immigration.

“Our message to illegal immigrants is simple. If you want to take advantage of Americans, go somewhere else,” Toma said at a news conference at the state Capitol.

Toma is the primary sponsor of HCR 2060, which would ask the voters this fall to approve of what he’s calling “one of the toughest anti-immigration laws ever written.” If referred to the ballot and passed by voters, it would expand laws requiring employers to verify the immigration status of their workers and make it harder for migrants to obtain a public benefit.

Current law already requires businesses to use the federal E-Verify system to determine the immigration status of current employees and potential employees. Toma’s proposal would add a requirement that companies also check the status of any independent sub-contractors they use. Anyone caught helping an undocumented migrant skirt the E-Verify process could face a class 6 felony charge.

In addition to toughening state employment laws, Toma’s proposal would make state and local governments check the immigration status of anyone seeking a license or applying for public benefit. A law approved by voters in 2004 already requires “verifying the identity of applicants for state and local public benefits,” according to the Arizona attorney general’s website. “In short if this ballot initiative passes, illegal aliens will have every reason to leave the state of Arizona,” Toma said.

Immigration activists said they are prepared to fight the proposal at the ballot box if the GOP successfully refers it to the ballot. Republicans can bypass Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs because they do not need her approval to send it straight to the voters. The proposed ballot referral cleared its first legislative hurdle on Monday after the House Appropriations Committee passed it along a party-line vote.

In explaining why she opposed the tough immigration measure, Rep. Lorena Austin, a Democrat, evoked the anti-immigrant bill signed by Republican Gov. Jan Brewer 14 years ago. Austin referred to Toma’s proposal as a sequel to SB 1070, which grabbed national headlines and sparked large protests in Arizona and elsewhere. “I’m proud to serve with other members of the SB 1070 generation. We got involved, we got educated. We’re here now and we’re not going anywhere because we’re here to protect the rights of all Arizonans,” Austin said during the House committee hearing.

Toma is one of several high-profile Republicans running in the primary to replace Republican Congresswoman Debbie Lesko, who is not seeking re-election in her West Valley district. The winner of the primary is expected to easily win in the general election in the Republican-leaning district. The house speaker trailed the top Republican candidates in fundraising, according to the latest campaign finance reports that were released at the end of January.

Toma also faces a candidate who has already secured the highly coveted endorsement of former President Donald Trump. Polls show that immigration is a top issue, especially among Republican primary voters.

During his press conference, Toma was asked if he would use his proposal to raise money and responded by saying, “No I have no such plans.” But within a couple of hours of his comment, his campaign sent an email to potential supporters alerting them of his immigration plan while asking for campaign contributions.

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