Arizona House Advances Strict Immigration Enforcement Bill

The New York Times reports that Arizona legislators have given preliminary approval to legislation that primarily concerns State enforcement of federal immigration laws. H.B. 2632, which is nearly identical to a bill passed in February by the state senate (S.B. 1070), would, among other things, allow police officers to charge illegal immigrants with criminal trespassing based solely on their presence in Arizona. The two bills must now go through reconciliation, which is expected to occur within the next two weeks.