Arizona House Speaker Unveils Bill to Criminalize Employers Who Hire Illegals

Republican state Rep. Ben Toma says his ballot initiative would add teeth to existing law requiring electronic verification of an employee’s legal status.

Illegal aliens wait outside a processing station near the Lukeville Port of Entry in southern Arizona on Dec. 7, 2023. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma has introduced a bill that would strengthen and expand the state’s mandatory electronic verification system and make it a felony crime for any employer to knowingly hire illegal aliens.

HCR 2060, also known as the Protecting Arizona Against Illegal Immigration Act, is a ballot initiative that seeks to close gaps in the law that enable illegal aliens to obtain benefits through taxpayer-funded public assistance programs.