Arizona Republicans Vote Yes for Bill That Would Make It Legal to Kill Migrants Suspected of Trespassing

How do Arizona Republicans think the border crisis should be solved? By giving people the legal right to shoot and kill undocumented immigrants via legislation that critics say will give the “green light to more extrajudicial killings.”

House Republicans in the border state are advancing HB2843, which declares: “A person may use deadly physical force” if they “believe it immediately necessary” to stop someone from trespassing or attempting to trespass on their property. While the bill does not include the words “immigrants” or “migrants,” as Axios notes, Representative Justin Heap, who sponsored the legislation, said in February that its intended purpose is to close a loophole that he contends has led to “increasingly larger numbers of migrants or human traffickers moving across farm and ranch land.” Current state law—the Castle Doctrine—allows deadly force to be used against home intruders for self-defense. Criminal defense attorney Jack Litwak told the Arizona Mirror the new law would give people much more cover, as it would allow the use of deadly force merely for appearing on one’s property. “The idea with the Castle Doctrine is that you are supposed to be able to defend house and home,” he said. “This seems to broaden it to say you can shoot someone that’s just on your actual property.”

Arguing against HB2843 last month, Democratic representative Analise Ortiz said the legislation “expands the (Castle Doctrine) law in a way that I think is very dangerous, as guns continue to wreak havoc upon our communities. I do not think there is any sense in giving a green light to more extrajudicial killings.” The bill was approved in the state House by a 31-28 vote. Next, it heads to the Senate. If passed there, it is expected to be vetoed by Democratic governor Katie Hobbs.

Arizona rancher George Alan Kelly is currently on trial on charges of second-degree murder (and aggravated assault) for allegedly killing Gabriel Cuen-Butimea after shooting at a group of unarmed migrants crossing his ranch. As the AZ Mirror notes, under the proposed law, “Kelly could have been justified for allegedly killing any of the migrants.” The outlet also notes that “a 2022 JAMA Network study showed that ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws were linked to an 8-11% increase in monthly rates of homicide and firearm homicide, leading researchers to conclude that the enactment of similar legislation across the country was directly related to an increase in violent and avoidable deaths.”

Florida Supreme Court allows near-total ban on abortion to go into effect

The law, signed by Ron DeSantis last year, bans the medical procedure after six weeks. Per The Washington Post:

>Florida’s conservative Supreme Court ruled Monday that the state’s constitution does not protect abortion rights, allowing one of the country’s strictest and most far-reaching abortion bans to take effect on May 1.… While the case centered on the constitutionality of the state’s existing 15-week ban, which took effect in the summer of 2022, the court’s ruling will also trigger a far stricter law passed last spring that will outlaw abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, before many people know they’re pregnant. Florida’s six-week ban was written to take effect only if the Supreme Court greenlit the 15-week law.

>The six-week ban in Florida—which includes exceptions for rape, incest, fatal fetal anomalies, and medical emergencies—will all but eliminate abortion access in the South, while further straining abortion clinics elsewhere across America.

In a separate decision, the court ruled that an amendment seeking to include the right to an abortion in the state constitution can appear on the November ballot.

Real top-of-the-line company the ex-president’s got there