Grand Canyon Times

The National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) said last week that their social media followers should “let sink in” Gov. Katie Hobbs’ (D-Ariz.) veto of SB 1231, the “Border Invasion Act.”

“Arresting illegal aliens who crash the border...illegally...is deemed ‘anti-immigrant’ by Arizona Gov Katie "Veto" Hobbs,” the NBPC posted on X. “Let that sink in for a moment.”

Sponsored by Sen. Janae Shamp (R-Surprise), the "Border Invasion Act," SB 1231, would have made it illegal for a person to enter Arizona by crossing the U.S.-Mexico border outside of an official port of entry. It also would have provided civil liability to state or local government officials who enforce the law.

Shamp said that the governor's veto "is a prime example of the chaos Hobbs is unleashing in our state while perpetuating this open border crisis as Biden's accomplice."

SB 1231 had passed both the Arizona House and Senate without a single Democrat vote. 

11,800 illegal aliens were apprehended in the U.S Border Patrol's Tucson Sector during the week ending February 23, 2024, reported the Tucson Standard. There were also 28 human smuggling events, which makes 78 such events reported during the past four weeks in the Tucson Sector.

Steve Cortes, founder and president of the League of American Workers, told the Grand Canyon Times the governor's veto "prioritizes Washington radicals and illegal aliens over US citizens and law enforcement officers in Arizona.”

This is Hobbs' first veto of the year. She vetoed 143 bills in 2023, breaking the record set by former Gov. Janet Napolitano (D), who vetoed 58 bills in 2005, reported Deseret News. 

The NBPC represents approximately 18,000 Border Patrol agents and support staff employed by the U.S. Border Patrol, which operates under the auspices of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a component of the Department of Homeland Security. Formed in 1967, the NBPC functions primarily as a labor union, negotiating labor contracts, advocating for better working conditions, and providing legal representation for its members.