CHRIS McDANIEL and VICTOR CALDERON
KAWC NEWS
YUMA — A delegation of Arizona House Republicans traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border near Yuma on Monday.
The visit comes ahead of a vote on state legislation that would expand the powers of state law enforcement and stiffen penalties for some drug crimes.
HCR 2060 — also known as the “Secure the Border Act” — would implement harsher penalties for fentanyl distribution, require verification of immigration status for employment and expand police powers to arrest suspected undocumented migrants.
House Speaker Ben Toma, who led the delegation, says he wanted to bring his colleagues to the border ahead of the vote.
"It was important for me to invite the House to come down here and actually see what is going on, to see for ourselves,"Toma said during a press conference at Yuma Regional Medical Center.
Toma says even though the border is under federal jurisdiction, Arizona needs the power to respond.
"We are doing what we can and doing only what we think is right, in terms of getting some tools in the toolbox for our law enforcement to use," he said.
A vote on HCR 2060 is scheduled for Tuesday
Toma notes border encounters are down in recent months, but he wants the state to have the tools to respond to an increase in numbers.
Other House members who joined the group were the Republicans whose districts include the Yuma area- Tim Dunn, Michael Carbone and Michele Pena.
Listen to the entire press conference here.
