In February 2024, Arizona Republicans proposed a bill that would have permitted property owners to murder anyone accused of trespassing on their property. Although the bill did not explicitly mention immigrants, Arizona State Rep. Justin Heap (R) stated in a hearing that the bill aimed to address a perceived loophole through which migrants have moved within the U.S. In April, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) vetoed the bill.
Straight Arrow News contributor Ruben Navarrette warns that this dangerous legislation might have passed without a Democratic governor, and says that the Republican goal here was essentially to “go hunting for migrants.”
Even under the so called “Castle Doctrine” that some states have in place, where a person is allowed to threaten to use deadly force to stop someone from criminally trespassing onto their property, there are limits. For instance, under those laws, a homeowner can use deadly force only if he or she is defending themselves or another person. The new bill gave property owners much more power and the leeway to use it.
This “murder bill” was ripped from the headlines. An Arizona rancher named George Kelly recently faced trial on second degree murder charges in the January 2023 shooting death of Gabriel Cuen-Buitimea, an undocumented immigrant who was found dead on Kelly’s property. The rancher pled not guilty, claiming that he only fired warning shots. What a tragedy. Gabriel was probably coming to the United States to pick lettuce, and instead his family back home had to pick out a casket. The jury in Kelly’s trial deadlocked and couldn’t reach a verdict. The judge declared a mistrial. The prosecutors decided not to retry the rancher, and so Kelly went free.
This legislation was gross and abhorrent. It would have declared open season on migrants, but it is on brand for a Republican Party that seeks to dehumanize immigrants.