Dec. 21, 2023: Migrants crossed into Lukeville, Arizona. (Fox News)
But Bennett took issue with some of the language in the bill regarding recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA program, with the bill stating that the legal status of children who were brought to the U.S. illegally could change if the program was ever canceled, according to a report from KJZZ.
"There was a nine-year window between 2012 and 2021 where people became DACA or received DACA status, and I don’t want anything in here that could be applied retrospectively," Bennett said of the provision, according to the report.
The GOP lawmaker’s vote represents a crucial one thanks to a narrow majority for the Republican-led state senate, which cannot afford a single defection amid universal Democratic opposition to the legislation.
The passing of the bill was further complicated by the absence of Republican State Sen. Justine Wadsack, who was forced to miss the vote while attending to a family emergency in California, according to a report from AZ Family.
Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has vetoed a Republican-sponsored bill that would have authorized police to arrest illegal immigrants, saying the legislation was anti-immigrant and likely to be unconstitutional. (YouTube)
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"We’re clarifying that they are exempt," Petersen said of DACA recipients, the subject of Bennett’s concern.
Bennett’s office did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
Meanwhile, Petersen argued that the bill was a valid solution to the state's border security woes, noting the differences between the current legislation and a controversial 2010 Arizona law known as SB 1070, which eventually had portions struck down by the Supreme Court in 2012.
"This is not SB 1070," Petersen said. "We’re truly just dealing with the border… this is truly a border security bill. It’s not an immigration bill."
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gop-lawmaker-stalls-texas-style-border-law-reaching-arizona-voters