New Arizona Bill Aims To Instate Armed Militia on Border

The state of Arizona is doing little to play down their controversial reputation on immigration laws. This week, the state got one step closer to passing a bill which would create and fund a volunteer armed militia to patrol the border for undocumented immigrants.

On Tuesday, the state's Senate Appropriations Committee passed a version of SB 1083, a law which would instate the "Arizona Special Missions Unit" with a yearly price tag of $1.4 million dollars to taxpayers. The bill, still in its early stages, would need to pass through the Arizona State House and Senate, and be signed by Governor Jan Brewer to become law.

The new bill comes less than two years after the passage of Arizona's controversial SB 1070, which requires police in Arizona to question people about their immigration status if they suspect an individual is in the country illegally.

The governor of Arizona, Jan Brewer, argues that the federal government is not doing enough to secure the US-Mexico and she has been forced to take action at the state level.

She wrote in her recent book 'Scorpions for Breakfast: My Fight Against Special Interests, Liberal Media, and Cynical Politicos to Secure America's Border' that the people of Arizona were being "terrorized, robbed, and murdered by ruthless and desperate people who enter our country illegally."

At the height of the SB 1070 debate, however, Arizona had never been safer, even with the spike in undocumented immigration, The New York Times reported. FBI statistics indicated that violent crime actually fell to 447 incidents per 100,000 residents in 2008, compared to 532 incidents per 100,000 in 2000. According to the same report, property crimes also fell during the same period.

Although Governor Jan Brewer has not commented on her thoughts about the bill to fund a volunteer militia, in July of 2011 she signed into law SB 1495, a different bill in order to "free up the Governor of Arizona to establish the Arizona State Guard", in the words of the Arizona State Defense Force Foundation.

According to AZCentral.com, if passed, Arizona would be the only state currently funding a militia devoted to border enforcement.

Comments

[harleridr]

11:44 AM on 08/27/2012

I am a little older than most of you and so have had more time to think about the problem.The U.S. has laws concerning illegals entering this country. This did not start with misters bush nor mr.obama. No one paid much attentiion to the problem, as it was not that big. Now that the state of CA. is bankrupt, with the entire U.S. is not far behind, the voters are begining to be concerned. On top of that S.S., medicare, and welfare has been opened up to these people by our congress in order to gain votes and the past and present POTUS not enforcing our immagration laws for fear of loosing votes. How long will the tax payer put up with this and say enough is enough. This is not a mater of hate, but a matter of law enforcement, you speed you get a ticket, you shoot someone you go to jail. It is as simple as that. Race has nothing to do with it except the country south of us happens to be Mexico, suppose it were South Africa, it would still be the same problem just a different race.

[OdinsEye]

01:25 PM on 02/26/2012

The Arizona state guard shall insofar as practicable be governed by and subject to the laws of the state pertaining to the national guard. -- http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/ars/26/00174.htm&Title=26&DocType=ARS

[crosshatchaz]

11:08 PM on 02/24/2012

After we send all the yahoo, trigger-happy, brownie-hating, crazies down to patrol the border....can we fence them OUT of the country?

[OdinsEye]

11:24 PM on 02/21/2012

About 22 states have active State Guard/State defense Force militias including Oregon, Massachusetts, New Jersey, California, and Connecticut. Arizona standing up an SG/SDF is hardly earth shattering news.

[Brian Fanger]

01:07 AM on 02/26/2012

Seriously? Did you forget that those states do not border another nation? Arizona has wide expanses of desert with no fences, the passageways migrants are forced to traverse due to increased protection at other areas of the border. The reason this is getting news is because Arizona is the battleground of the immigration debare, and the Governor is trying to get reelected in a state that is very open about their dislike for Mexicans.

[OdinsEye]

12:56 PM on 02/26/2012

"Seriously? Did you forget that those states do not border another nation?"

1) California does.

2) This has nothing to do with the fact that about 22 states have SDFs/SGs AKA state militias.

3) Other border states with SDFs/SGs are Alaska, New York, Ohio, Michigan, Texas, Washington, and Vermont

[Jerry Bourbon]

10:55 AM on 02/21/2012

If Title 32 State Defense Forces are bad, why do Blue States have them?

[latenchis]

12:19 AM on 02/21/2012

Omg this website was banned in Arizona! www.theguzmanshow.com

[DrCaligari]

10:38 PM on 02/20/2012

None of the white power supporters here have adressed the fact that many "legal" taxpaying immigrants are being pulled over in thier cars by the cops. Of course they would probably want them sent back too. Anything to keep this country full of inbred buck tooth hicks that think Jeff Foxworhty leads one to the secrets of the universe.

[CrestedSparrow]

09:38 PM on 02/21/2012

F&F!

[steve11407]

03:30 PM on 02/20/2012

I say One World!! Open Borders!!! Who's with me??? (sarc off)

[disgustedwithall]

01:09 PM on 02/20/2012

This horror and others going on across USA kind of look like when rich slave owners started stirring up nation in 1835-1860s, nearly same hateful racist rhetoric, use of violence and a target group for blame of all things, true or not, just someone to hate by the lesser educated and envious.

Yep since O came into WH, we even have about equal to Jim Crow laws on getting ID to vote, now this with bunch of gun nut wacko's running about hoping to shoot "outsiders who want us to give up our rights etc", Sounds just like southern border states when bloodthirsty raiders went out and about, "to save our way of life" etc. Seems the low life are finally getting some PR, and as with most bullies-obs, not smart enough to see their being feed a lot with little facts behind it. But pols back in 1800's stirred it up and 600,000 died, how many in AZ is now the question as a bunch of gunnies "enforce the law like real men etc". How sad for us all, and 600,000 died to end such foolish hates.

[JimInHouston]

02:18 PM on 02/20/2012

"we even have about equal to Jim Crow laws on getting ID to vote, "

Don't bother giving these issues any thought, OK?

[Jerry Bourbon]

01:52 PM on 02/21/2012

He's a "progressive". Deep thought is not their strong point...

[steve11407]

03:27 PM on 02/20/2012

nonsensical

[disgustedwithall]

09:55 AM on 02/23/2012

About what we can expect from those that support new J Crow laws and gunnies running about border playing Rambo, a bit of ethnic "motivation" behind both

[cagog]

12:10 PM on 02/20/2012

Usually the state defense force deploy alongside national guard and reserves when ordered.

[disgustedwithall]

01:10 PM on 02/20/2012

Yep as history provides, and on those days they left their sheet wardrobes at home.

[Jerry Bourbon]

10:54 AM on 02/21/2012

The State Defense Force in Deep Blue California (California State Military Reserve) wears "sheets"?

Who knew...

[OdinsEye]

06:01 PM on 02/21/2012

SDFs/SGs deploy along side the NG for state call ups. They are not subject to the same federal call-ups as the NG. The reserves are federal.

[allanfclark]

10:21 AM on 02/20/2012

choot him lizabeth,choot him!

[auntiec72]

04:31 AM on 03/15/2012

I love Troy !

[hrpmap]

02:43 AM on 02/20/2012

Troops returning home from the middle east need jobs, hire them to guard the border and pay them with the savings on social services now being sucked up by illegal aliens.

[CrestedSparrow]

10:10 PM on 02/21/2012

There are over 8000 Border Patrol agents, drones, and military personnel on the border. Brewer is LYING about the problem and needs to be stopped. I think the power of office has gone to her head.

[Brian Fanger]

01:12 AM on 02/26/2012

Right, the same social services that illegal aliens help pay for by using someone's social security. While this may be illegal to use another's SS card, it is not illegal when we use the tax money that they earned illegally.

[Tresmilanos]

01:51 AM on 02/20/2012

Follow the link below to see Arizona conservative thinking at its best.

Another conservative paper-tiger projecting a false image.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/18/paul-babeu-mitt-romney_n_1286531.html

[Behaviour Problem]

06:10 PM on 02/19/2012

This kind of junk won't come from the US, it'll have to be UN/NATO.

[poppyCa]

01:10 AM on 02/20/2012

You want the UN to decide?

[Jim Makeever]

04:15 PM on 02/19/2012

The federal government (Obama) is and has been chasing votes instead of protecting the citizens of our country. The people of Airizona should bill the Damocrats for the cost of the militia.

[Tresmilanos]

11:32 PM on 02/19/2012

Robospam hate from a bogus profile.

[poppyCa]

01:11 AM on 02/20/2012

Spam is leaking from your joints.

[Berettasskeeter]

02:29 PM on 02/22/2012

You, I presume, have done so. I will not. We may still talk.
Semper fi

[44special]

06:48 PM on 02/20/2012

Who is it then that is responsible for more deportations than any other President? Triple the effort, I say!