PHOENIX (AP) — Strong business opposition is being cited as a major reason for the Arizona Senate’s rejection of proposed new get-tough legislation on illegal immigration.
The Senate rejected the bills on Thursday when majority Republicans split and minority Democrats voted in lockstep against the bills, which included measures intended to force a U.S. Supreme Court ruling against automatic citizenship for U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants. Other bills dealt with health care, public services and everyday activities such as driving.
The outcome may have been sealed with the hand-delivery of a letter to lawmakers earlier in the week.
In the wake of controversy over last year’s Arizona immigration law, dozens of CEOs warned in the letter that new state legislation on the contentious issue could hurt the state’s struggling economy and cost jobs.
