A proposed Arizona bill would allow property owners to shoot and kill immigrants who trespass on their property while entering the United States illegally and averting legal points of entry.

The bill does not explicitly mention immigrants. However, the bill’s sponsor, Republican state Rep. Justin Heap, said the bill is aimed to close a loophole and protect farmers near the southern border from immigrants who cross their land. 

“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 trespass them from his property?” Heap recently told the House Judiciary Committee.

“So, this is an amendment to essentially fix that loophole because we have several cases and, unfortunately, an increasing number of cases, as we are seeing an increasingly larger number of migrants or human traffickers moving across farm and ranchland,” he added.

The bill comes as rancher George Alan Kelly is scheduled to stand trial in March for second-degree murder and aggravated assault after he allegedly shot and killed an immigrant who crossed his 70-acre farm in January. Kelly’s ranch is in Nogales, Arizona, a town that directly borders Mexico.

Heap’s bill would protect ranchers like Kelly. 

“This is a great Second Amendment bill that is also protecting the rights of the accused,” Republican state Rep. Alexander Kolodin said.

Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee spokesman Abhi Rahman said that “the extremism of the Arizona GOP is so outrageous,” it makes Republican lawmakers in the state “one step closer to legalizing murder.”

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“Make no mistake, this bill encourages Arizonians to shoot first and ask questions later,” Rahman said in a statement.

The Arizona House approved the bill along party lines in a 31-28 vote. Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) is expected to veto the bill.