PHOENIX — Two high-ranking members of the Trump administration are coming to Arizona Tuesday to promote their policies and support parallel legislative efforts here.
Tom Homan, tapped by the president to be his “border czar,’’ is set to address a joint session of the Arizona House and Senate.
That comes just a day after House Republicans approved a plan to require state and local agencies to cooperate with federal immigration officials. The future of that bill remains in doubt, however, as Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs has repeatedly vetoed measures to have the state play a role in enforcing immigration laws.
White House border czar Tom Homan
And Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of Health and Human Services, will be addressing more immediate — and potentially more far-reaching — efforts to change state law in the name of public health.
His news conference scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at the Arizona Capitol comes as lawmakers are set to give final approval Tuesday morning to banning some “ultra-processed foods’’ from schools, including cafeterias, snack bars and school vending machines.
Lake Havasu City Republican Rep. Leo Biasiucci, who wrote House Bill 2164, has a specific idea of what fits that definition. It includes everything from potassium bromate, which is used in making bread, to a host of food colorings including Blue #2 which is a synthetic version of indigo used on baked goods, cereals and candies, to Yellow #6, the dye that gives Cheetos its distinctive color.
HB 2164 is a small piece of what Kennedy is promoting at the national level to remove artificial dyes from the entire food supply. He has argued they create public health risks, including cancer and behavioral issues in children.
Federal health officials already took action earlier this year to ban Red #2, which has been linked to cancer — but not until 2027.
Kennedy, in his news conference here, also is expected to address House Bill 2165, which is set for a final vote Tuesday.
It deals with the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP or food stamps. What can and cannot be purchased is governed by federal regulations.
This measure, also sponsored by Biasiucci, directs the Arizona Department of Economic Security to request a waiver from those rules to deny Arizonans getting SNAP benefits from using them to purchase sodas.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
In an interview with Capitol Media Services, Biasiucci said SNAP was designed to provide those in need with an opportunity to put food on the table.
“But it has turned into this free-for-all where, outside of alcohol and tobacco, you can buy whatever you want,’’ he said. “I don’t think that was ever the intent of the program.”
Biasiucci’s original proposal also sought to ban the use of food stamps for candy, defined as “a preparation of sugar, honey or other natural or artificial sweetener in combination with chocolate, fruit, nuts or other ingredients or flavorings that form bars, drops of pieces.’’
That ran into problems, however, as he was unable to draw a line between candy bars and nutrition bars. So now the measure focuses solely on sodas.
His measure also would bar the use of SNAP benefits for sugar-free sodas. “We need to get back to these dollars going to foods that actually provide nutritional value,” he said.
Kennedy has encouraged states to apply for waivers to disallow soda purchases. Only thing is, the program is administered not by his agency but instead by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And while that department legally can grant waivers, there is some belief that only Congress can amend the law to decide what can and cannot be purchased with food stamps.
Homan’s speech to the Legislature comes a day after the House gave preliminary approval Monday to Senate Bill 1164.
That measure would prohibit state and local officials and agencies from adopting or enforcing any policy or practice that prohibits cooperation with federal immigration authorities. It also requires the attorney general to investigate any time a state legislator files a complaint accusing any public entity of refusing to cooperate.
Another provision requires law enforcement agencies and the Arizona Department of Corrections to notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that they have someone in their custody whom the agency says is not in the country legally, and to hold that person for ICE. It permits any taxpayer to file suit if the attorney general fails to enforce provisions of the measure.
The voice vote came over the objections of Democrats who worried about effects of the proposal.
House Minority Leader Oscar De Los Santos, who formerly taught English and social studies to sixth graders, spoke about the effect on students if schools are forced to cooperate with immigration officials.
“I had students who were undocumented,’’ the Laveen Democrat told colleagues.
“Under SB 1164, those students would live in fear and terror coming to school every single day that an ICE agent could show up during English, detain them, and deport them,’’ De Los Santos said. “I don’t think that’s who we are as a state.’’
Rep. Alexander Kolodin said that misses the point. “What about the fact that Congress made our federal immigration laws?’’ asked the Scottsdale Republican. “All this bill does is continue to strengthen our state’s enforcement of those laws.’’
House Speaker Steve Montenegro, a Goodyear Republican, said this isn’t aimed at immigrants.
“This bill is about public safety,’’ he said. “This bill is about making sure we continue to tell the rest of the world you cannot take advantage of our country, you cannot ignore our laws, you cannot ignore the rule of law that the United States of America stands for.’’
He chided foes who have raised questions about whether strict enforcement of immigration laws will curtail the number of workers needed to harvest crops and do housekeeping work.
“That’s what you call labor,’’ Montenegro said. “That’s separate.’’
In a separate statement announcing Homan’s speech, the speaker praised him as “a patriot who has dedicated his life to defending our nation’s sovereignty and keeping America safe.’’
“His firsthand experience and no-nonsense leadership are exactly what our members need as we advance our majority plan to promote public safety, preserve the American dream, and protect the rights and liberties of every Arizonan,’’ Montenegro said.
De Los Santos had a different take on Homan and ICE as “flailing, incompetent and illegally deporting people who are lawfully present in the United States.’’ He said a better approach is one taken by Hobbs, who has funded programs to seize fentanyl pills.
Homan himself has defended the ability of ICE agents to use discretion in making arrests, even if someone is inside a church or school, saying they evaluate them “on a case-by-case basis.’’
