Bill > HB2855

This bill establishes a state declaration that drug cartels are terrorist organizations and empowers the Arizona Department of Homeland Security to address the threat they pose. The bill defines a "drug cartel" as an association engaging in human smuggling, drug trafficking for profit, or acts of terrorism, and defines "threat" as anything designed to disturb or cause harm to individual rights or public safety. The legislation explicitly states that this declaration does not support asylum claims for aliens. The bill is grounded in findings from the 2024 Secure the Border Act (Proposition 314), which highlighted significant border security concerns, including a massive increase in terrorist watchlist individuals crossing the southwest border, tripled fentanyl seizures, and the role of transnational criminal organizations in drug trafficking. The legislative findings emphasize the transformation of the drug landscape by synthetic drugs and the substantial public health and safety risks posed by drug cartels. Ultimately, the bill aims to address the perceived public safety crisis at Arizona's border by giving the state's Homeland Security department expanded authority to combat drug cartel activities.

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https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/83326