Governor Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) recently vetoed the Arizona Border Invasion Act which would authorize state law enforcement to arrest illegal immigrants. Senate candidate Kari Lake savaged the decision on X (formerly Twitter), calling it "shameful" and accusing Gov. Hobbs of "taking the side of the invaders."
The Border Invasion Act was introduced in late January by State Senator Janae Shamp (R), which contained provisions making it a state-level misdemeanor to illegally enter the United States and a felony to re-enter after being deported or refusing to comply.
Gov. Hobbs explained the veto in a video posted to X, claiming it was potentially unconstitutional and said, "This bill does not secure our border. On the contrary, it will be harmful for businesses and communities in our state and a burden for law enforcement personnel," even if she understood the frustration with the federal government's handling of the border crisis.
Lake's response to the video mentioned the murder of Laken Riley in Georgia by an illegal immigrant, calling the veto "yet another slap in the face to Arizonans," and alleging the border crisis was intentional.
"Following the savage murder of Laken Riley by an illegal immigrant, the @AZSenateGOP put forward a bill to protect Arizonans from the tragedies that come with an open border. But the @DNC doesn't want this to stop. @KatieHobbs veto of the Arizona Border Invasion Act is yet another slap in the face to Arizonans. The open-border party of @JoeBiden, Hobbs, and @RubenGallego prioritize continuing the invasion of our country over protecting law-abiding Arizona families. Shameful," Lake's first tweet read.
A second tweet shortly after said, "In a disastrous administration full of indefensible vetoes, this may be the most reprehensible one of all. Arresting people who come into our country illegally isn't anti-immigrant. It's common sense. Arizona is being invaded. @Katiehobbs took the side of the invaders."
The death of the Arizona bill comes the same day Representative Debbie Lesko (R-AZ) joined Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) in introducing a bill that would declare the border crisis "an invasion."