Arizona Republicans would legalize killing migrants who cross private property: report

Republicans in the Arizona legislature are advancing a bill that would make it legal to kill migrants who cross private property, according to a new report.

As April Rubin reported for Axios on Tuesday, "The legislation, which is expected to be vetoed if it reaches the state's Democratic governor, would legalize the murder of undocumented immigrants, who often have to cross ranches that sit on the state's border with Mexico. Rep. Justin Heap (R-AZ) said the bill is intended to close a loophole by which migrants have moved within the U.S., per the Arizona Mirror."

Arizona state law already allows property owners to use deadly force against home invaders. This bill would go a step further by expanding authorization of deadly force against anyone who even sets foot on private land without permission, as well as any structure on that land, "occupied or not."

This legislation comes amid a nationally followed case in which George Alan Kelly, a rancher in Santa Cruz County on the Arizona border, was charged with murder after allegedly shooting a Mexican immigrant named Gabriel Cuen-Buitimea in the back, as he sought to cross over into the U.S. to find work. Kelly, whose trial is set to begin next month, has become a rallying cry for Republicans who view him as a hero.

It also comes amid a national debate over border security and migration policy, after the number of border encounters surged in recent years to levels not seen for decades as tens of thousands of people request asylum.

Republicans and Democrats brokered a bipartisan border security deal earlier this year that would add new restrictions to entry; however, former President Donald Trump's opposition has killed any debate on the deal for the foreseeable future.