NASHVILLE – A resolution, sponsored by state Rep. Joe Carr (R-Lascassas), honoring Arizona for its new immigration policies passed the Tennessee House of Representatives on Monday night.

Arizona recently passed a law that allows law enforcement officials to require citizenship documentation on any person who is detained or arrested. House Joint Resolution 1253 passed with a 67-27 vote in the House.

“For the past decade, this country has seen a sharp increase in illegal immigration," Carr said. "The federal government has failed to take any decisive action to curb this illegal activity, thus forcing the states to act. Arizona is to be commended for taking bold steps to address this problem."

Carr emphasized that he has read the entire Arizona law and the fine print, and that it goes out of its way to protect the civil rights of Arizona citizens. He said it also goes to great lengths to disallow any kind of racial profiling and only seeks to address the issue of illegal immigration.

Arizona lawmakers have defended the move as something that will also improve the state economically, and Carr agrees.

“There is no doubt that undocumented illegal aliens are a drain on this country economically," he said. "We budget for certain services based on the need of our citizens, and it is impossible to account for illegal aliens in that formula.”

The resolution says, “unlawful immigration is of major concern … as it threatens the security and safety of all citizens and legal residents and has become a huge financial burden on state and local taxpayers … Arizona has taken steps to address the problem of unlawful immigration following decades of inadequate action and enforcement by the federal government.”