Rally against 'Secure the Border Act' at Arizona State Capitol
PHOENIX - A rally against the Secure the Border Act took place in front of the capitol building on Saturday.
While Republicans are working to put the measure in front of voters during the November elections, protesters say the bill is racist and unconstitutional.
The controversial border bill gives law enforcement the authority to arrest people that are believed to be in Arizona illegally.
Meanwhile, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has indicated she will likely veto the bill if it passes through the legislature.
The bill, HCR 2060, is moving through the Arizona House and Senate.
What the protesters are saying:
"Our brown skin is not a crime," protester Gina Mendez says. "This bill is going to racially profile us. It is going to deport our families and its going to continue to criminalize people just for breathing and living in the state of Arizona."
The protest was organized by the Living United for Change in Arizona group or LUCHA.
Rocky Rivera, a LUCHA supporter, drove in from Tucson to stand up against HCR 2060.
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AZ GOP lawmakers work to get HCR 2060, an illegal immigration bill, on November ballot
A controversial immigration bill is making its way through Arizona's capitol. Republicans want the issue to go to the November ballot, which would side-step a likely veto by Governor Katie Hobbs.
"It's going to be economically detrimental not only to small towns and latino businesses but the state overall. They contribute to the state. They spend (money) here," Rivera said.
"Not only arresting these people but prosecuting them through the courts is going to clog up the courts, take up all of our jail beds and prison beds and at the cost of us people here in Arizona."
Have similar bills to HCR 2060 been proposed?
SB 1070, also known as the "Show Me Your Papers Law," passed in 2010 and has been compared to HCR 2060. Two years after the passage of SB 1070, most elements were struck down the U.S. Supreme Court.
Republicans believe HCR 2060 is about securing the border and not about immigration.
The Senate reconvenes Tuesday and the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
HCR 2060 also makes it a felony to bring fentanyl into the country.
Activists have called for a walkout on the measure if it passes.