Arizona Republicans are advancing a bill that would allow Mexico border land owners to use lethal force to protect their property from trespassers.
The AZ Mirror noted the legislation — expected to be vetoed if it reaches the state's Democrat Gov. Katie Hobbs — would legalize lethal force against undocumented migrants "in the defense of himself or third persons" on private properties along the border with Mexico.
Arizona law already allows the use of deadly force against home intruders if deemed necessary for protection; the new bill expands the existing doctrine from a home intrusion to a home or property intrusion, Axios noted.
HB 2843 is sponsored by state GOP Rep. Justin Heap.
The AZ Mirror reported the legislation changes the state's Castle Doctrine so that lethal force is not limited to instances where someone unlawfully enters one's home. Rather, ranchers and other land owners would also be shielded by law if they used deadly force against someone who was illegally on their land.
"Language like 'and' 'or' 'either' … that one word can completely change the meaning of how this law is then applied," Heap told the AZ Mirror.
"If a farmer owns 10,000 acres of farmland, his home may be a half a mile away from where he is, and if he sees someone on his land, can he approach them and [remove] them from his property? This is an amendment to fix that."
State GOP Rep. Alex Kolodin praised the bill for protecting people who could be accused of using excessive force in these situations, the AZ Mirror reported.
"This is a great Second Amendment bill that is also protecting the rights of the accused to make sure we are taking ambiguity out of our law," Kolodin said.
Arizona is one of about 30 states with laws that remove the duty to retreat first before taking violent action, the AZ Mirror noted. States like Florida and Louisiana are among 10 states with explicit "Stand Your Ground" laws permitting violent force if one feels that they are being threatened.
HB 2843 passed in committee on a party line vote, with every Democrat on the panel voting against it, the outlet reported.
Fran Beyer ✉
Fran Beyer is a writer with Newsmax and covers national politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.