Arizona voters passed a ballot measure that will make illegal border crossings a state crime, AP projects.
The big picture: Proposition 314 will make it a state crime to cross into Arizona from Mexico anywhere except an official port of entry, which is a provision based on a similar Texas law.
- It will also require state and local governments to use federal systems to determine whether noncitizens are eligible to apply for public benefits.
- And it will impose stiff prison sentences for selling fentanyl that causes someone’s death.
Between the lines: Republican lawmakers referred the measure, known as the Secure the Border Act, to the ballot.