/ Modified jul 16, 2019 1:23 p.m.

Sanctuary city effort approved for Tucson November ballot

The Pima County Recorder's office certified signatures that exceeded the minimum requirement by about 3,100.

Sanctuary-init-boxes Boxes containing petitions collected by the People's Defense Initiative were displayed on July 3, 2019, before the group submitted them to Tucson city officials. The group claims it collected 18,155 signatures, more than the 9,200 needed to qualify its proposed Sanctuary City ordinance for the Nov. 5, 2019 Tucson city election ballot.
Steve Jess/AZPM

Arizona officials have verified thousands of signatures to place an initiative on the ballot to make Tucson the state's first "sanctuary city."

The Pima County Recorder's office Monday has certified more than 12,400 signatures, about 3,100 more than the minimum requirement needed to qualify for the November election.

The Pima County Republican Party says it plans to challenge the validity of the submitted signatures. The party has yet to file a lawsuit.

The initiative aims to add protections for people living in the U.S. illegally, including preventing Tucson police from asking about immigration status and prohibiting certain cooperation between city and federal agencies.

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