NATIONAL NEWS

Arizona governor vetoes bill requiring local officials to help with federal immigration efforts

Apr 18, 2025, 6:45 PM

FILE - Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, center, applauds for those affected by the Los Angeles ...

FILE - Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, center, applauds for those affected by the Los Angeles area wildfires as she gives the State of the State address in the House of Representatives at the Capitol with Speaker of the House Rep. Steve Montenegro, R-Litchfield Park, left, and Senate President Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, flanking the governor on Jan. 13, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

PHOENIX (AP) — Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs on Friday vetoed a Republican-backed bill intended to support the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown by requiring local and state officials in Arizona to cooperate with federal enforcement efforts.

Under the proposal, local and state officials couldn’t prohibit or restrict cooperation with federal immigration efforts or block the use of federal databases and grant funds related to immigration enforcement.

It also would force cooperation on immigration detainers — requests from the federal government to hold onto people already in state custody until immigration authorities could pick them up.

Supporters say the measure is needed to ensure federal authorities can safely and more easily take custody of immigrants, rather than having to track them down later after they have already been released from state prisons or county jails.

Opponents say the state should leave immigration enforcement to the federal government and that the cooperation required in the bill would be expensive for local governments to carry out and would harm the cooperation local police get from people in immigrant communities.

They also point out that immigration laws passed by the Arizona Legislature in the past have led to legal problems, such as a 2013 racial profiling verdict against then-Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s office for his signature traffic patrols that targeted immigrants.

Senate President Warren Petersen, a Republican from Gilbert, said his proposal aims to ensure that Arizona is a “partner and not an obstacle” where President Donald Trump’s immigration efforts are concerned.

Under the bill, state prisons and county jails would be required to enter agreements with Washington to temporarily house people with detainers. Local agencies would be required to comply with detainers and tell judges who are determining bail when a given individual has an immigration detainer.

The bill would also require Arizona’s attorney general to investigate alleged violations of the cooperation rules and let the attorney general sue to bring an agency into compliance. Supporters say state-shared revenues to local government could be withheld until compliance is reached. Arizona’s landmark 2010 immigration law also addressed the issue of state and local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

The law bars state and local governments from limiting the enforcement of federal immigration law and lets residents sue over alleged violations.

State officials, immigrant rights advocates and an association representing counties say they are unaware of any such lawsuits being filed in the nearly 15 years since it was signed into law.

A little over a year ago, Hobbs vetoed a bill that would have made it a state crime for noncitizens to enter the state through Mexico at any location other than a port of entry. The Republican-led Legislature then bypassed the governor and voted to put a similar measure on the November 2024 ballot, which then won approval from voters.

Since Trump won a second term, Hobbs promised to work with his administration on issues like combating fentanyl trafficking, but has acknowledged the worries some families feel about the immigration crackdown.

Hobbs has vowed to veto all bills sent to her in a standoff with the Legislature until there is a compromise on funding for a state agency that provides services for people with developmental disabilities.

GOP lawmakers say Hobbs has mismanaged agency funds. Hobbs counters that Republicans are leveraging the crisis for “political warfare.” She has said she is willing to veto even bills that she supports.

National News

Associated Press

Minnesota shooting suspect had dozens of potential targets, prosecutors say

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The man charged with killing one Minnesota lawmaker and wounding another in what prosecutors have described as a meticulously planned attack, had dozens of apparent targets, including officials in at least three other states. Vance Boelter allegedly made it to the homes of two other legislators on the night of the attacks, […]

1 hour ago

Brian Armstrong, left, Co-founder and CEO of Coinbase, and Jeremy Allaire, Co-Founder, Chairman and...

Associated Press

Senate expected to pass crypto bill without addressing Trump’s investments

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate is expected to approve legislation Tuesday that would regulate a form of cryptocurrency known as stablecoins, the first of what is expected to be a wave of crypto legislation from Congress that the industry hopes will bolster its legitimacy and reassure consumers. The fast-moving legislation, which will be sent to […]

2 hours ago

U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he attends a family photo session during the G7 Summit, in ...

Associated Press

Trump is at a moment of choosing as Israel looks for more US help crushing Iran’s nuclear program

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump in about eight hours Monday went from suggesting a nuclear deal with Iran remained “achievable” to urging Tehran’s 9.5 million residents to flee for their lives as he cut short his visit to an international summit to return to Washington for urgent talks with his national security team. He […]

2 hours ago

Police tape blocks off the home of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman, Sunday, June 15, 2025, in ...

Associated Press

40 hours of violence and fear as gunman stalks Minnesota politicians

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Violence and fear swept through towns in an arc around Minneapolis for more than 40 hours over the weekend as a man seemingly intent on sowing political devastation killed one Minnesota state lawmaker and left another bleeding from nine bullet wounds. The attacks sparked the largest manhunt in Minnesota history, with heavily […]

2 hours ago

FILE - Shannon Taylor, attorney for Henrico County Commonwealth, exits the Albemarle County Circuit...

Associated Press

Virginia Democrats set to pick nominees in closely watched 2025 primaries

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Democrats are set on Tuesday to pick their nominees for lieutenant governor and attorney general, rounding out the statewide ticket and setting the stage for a bellwether election later this year. Most of the nominees slated to be at the top of the November ticket have already been picked, and […]

2 hours ago

FILE - Former Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., speaks to reporters outside federal court in New York, Jan...

Associated Press

Ex-Sen. Bob Menendez set to report to federal prison for 11-year bribery sentence

NEW YORK (AP) — Former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez is set to report to federal prison on Tuesday to begin serving an 11-year sentence for accepting bribes of gold and cash and acting as an agent of Egypt. The New Jersey Democrat has been mocked for the crimes as “Gold Bar Bob,” according to his […]

3 hours ago

Arizona governor vetoes bill requiring local officials to help with federal immigration efforts