Arizona judges uphold voter‑approved immigration law despite federal challenge

A federal judge in Phoenix declined to block Arizona's voter‑approved Proposition 314, which expands state and local police powers to arrest migrants who enter the United States outside a legal port of entry. The law, passed in July 2024 by a two‑to‑one margin, also permits state judges to order the deportation of such migrants.

Judge Michael Liburdi said he cannot consider the constitutionality of the measure because no party has demonstrated concrete harm. The Florence Immigrant Rights and Refugee Project, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, has yet to show that anyone has been arrested or deported under the new statute. Liburdi gave the group another opportunity to present evidence of imminent and irreparable injury, leaving the law in effect for now.