Arizona Republicans' fake border security bill is actually about job security (theirs)

The Republicans who control the Arizona Legislature want to convince you that border security means enabling law enforcement officers to hassle brown-skinned individuals driving pick-up trucks while suspiciously listening to norteño music.

We tried that already, remember?

After the atrocity that was Senate Bill 1070 passed the Legislature in 2010 and was signed by then-Gov. Jan Brewer, former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio used deputies to run immigration sweeps and traffic stops that eventually led to lawsuits that have, so far, cost Maricopa County taxpayers $250 million.

Now, the Republicans who control the Legislature want voters to approve the latest version of that xenophobic disgrace in the form of House Concurrent Resolution 2060.

Bill is about job security, not border security

Make no mistake, however.

This particular ballot referral has nothing to do with border security and everything to do with job security — for the politicians promoting it.

It’s a statewide version of what Donald Trump is promising to do nationwide if he becomes president.

Time Magazine recently published an interview with Trump in which he said that as part of his plan to resurrect the grotesque Eisenhower-era “Operation Wetback,” the largest mass deportation of undocumented workers in United States history, he would use local police to help round up and deport those suspected of being in the country illegally.

Trump told Time that he’d use the National Guard and the military, and added, “We’re going to be using local police, because local police know them by name, by first name, second name and third name. I mean, they know them very well.”

GOP killed an actual bill to fix the border

Actually, what we know very well is that this is a con job.

If, for example, Republicans actually wanted to improve border security, they would support legislation that does things like restore control of the border.

The party would correct issues with the way we treat asylum. It would help out border towns and provide a big bunch of financial support for security equipment and personnel.

GOP has genius plan:To make one big 'Tent City'

Wait … there WAS such a bill in Congress. It was hammered out in a bipartisan fashion by lawmakers from both parties led by Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema.

It then was killed by lies put forth by Trump bootlickers like Republican Arizona Reps. Andy Biggs, Paul Gosar and Eli Crane, along with U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake, because their Dear Leader (and all other Republicans) need a crisis on the border so they can campaign on it.

Like I said, it’s not about border security.

It’s about job security.

Theirs.

Reach Montini at ed.montini@arizonarepublic.com.

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