th, the Arizona Senate by a 16-12 vote passed SB 1175 sponsored by Senator Russell Pearce. The bill requires officials of the state, counties, cities and towns to fully comply with and assist in the enforcement of federal immigration laws and makes the presence of an illegal alien on public and private lands a trespassing offense. It also requires police to verify an alien’s immigration status if there’s reasonable suspicion about their status, and to verify the immigration status of any alien who is arrested.

Under the trespassing provision, first-time offenders could be jailed for up to six months. The legislation, however, permits police to turn violators over to Customs and Border Protection for deportation. For subsequent offenses an offender would face 2 1/2 years in prison.

The Senate also agreed to make it a felony for any individual to knowingly or recklessly conceal, harbor or shield any illegal alien. The penalty for a violation of this offense is up to five years in prison. This penalty would double if the crime was committed for commercial purposes or financial gain.