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AZCapitolTimes.com reports that Arizona’s senate, by a party-line 17-13 vote, passed a broad, immigration-focused bill covering a wide range of topics including law enforcement procedures, criminal law, and traffic congestion. The bill would:
- require police officers to make a reasonable attempt to determine a person’s immigration status when “practicable;”
- allow illegal immigrants to be charged with trespassing;
- make it unlawful for anyone seeking work, regardless of their immigration status, to enter a vehicle stopped on the street;
- penalize drivers who impede traffic in an attempt to hire a day laborer;
- prohibit state and local governments from adopting policies that restrict the enforcement of immigration laws; and
- require state and local governments to comply with, and assist in enforcing, federal immigration laws.
The bill now moves to Arizona’s house of representatives for consideration.