Arizona Senate votes down immigration bills

The Senate voted down bills that sought to provoke a reevaluation by the U.S. Supreme Court of birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants, Senate officials said.

Other defeated measures sought to ban undocumented students from studying at state universities, as well as requiring hospitals and schools to check the legal status of patients and students respectively.

The votes came despite the Senate having a majority of Republicans, generally more sympathetic to such measures than Democrats.

“This was a clear statement that Arizona needs to focus on its priorities, not try to solve the immigration problem,” Democratic State Senator Steve Gallardo told Reuters.