Immigration laws of different states that are worth knowing
The first year of the Donald Trump presidency was marked by heightened public and media attention to immigration issues. Many states and cities passed new immigration laws that, in their opinion, were in the interests of their residents.
In general, many states have adopted regulations aimed at protecting and supporting their inhabitants: both immigrants and non-immigrants, writes Immigration impact.
According to the National Conference of Local Legislature (NCSL), the total number of immigration laws and resolutions adopted in 2017 by local authorities is the highest in all previous years.
In particular, last year at the state level, the 204 Act and the 269 resolutions regarding immigration were passed.
In general, about 25% of documents received were budget. They were adopted in previous years as well. These laws usually represent orders for allocating funds for immigrants and refugees, for educational programs for them or for the work of immigration law enforcement agencies.
Almost one fifth of all laws passed concern the work of law enforcement and immigrants, in 2017, 19 states adopted 38 of such laws.
This was most likely the result of Trump's order at the beginning of 2017, calling on local law enforcement agencies to cooperate with immigration officers, inform them about detained illegal immigrants, or even detain immigrants for longer than the court ordered them to be picked up by immigration officers.
And the states decided to legally regulate the level of responsibility of local law enforcement agencies for compliance with immigration laws, the provision of which lies solely with the federal authorities.
Among the most striking of such laws:
- California's Senate Bill 54 Entered into force in January 2018, the document banned law enforcement agencies in cities and the state of California (including schools and security personnel) from using their resources for the needs of the federal law enforcement agencies, which include the immigration police. The law also limits the ability of federal agencies to detain immigrants in courts, schools and medical institutions.
- Illinois TRUST Act, signed in August 2017, banned Illinois state police from detaining, searching, or arresting a person based solely on their immigration status; moreover, police are prohibited from detaining illegal immigrants at the request of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) unless an illegal alien is issued for arrest judicial warrant.
- In March, 2017, the District of Columbia accepted Resolution 75, which obliges local authorities not to participate in any federal immigration operations that threaten the rights and well-being of residents, workers or guests of the city.
- Vermont and Oregon passed laws prohibiting government officials from sharing with the federal government certain personal information of residents, including their immigration status.
Most states have enacted laws to protect immigrants, but some have tightened policies on illegal immigrants.
Among them:
- Texas Senate Bill 4, passed by the legislature in May 2017, punished any state official for refusing to cooperate with federal immigration agencies. However, the court limited the law, removing from it, in fact, all punitive measures.
- Many states considered legislation prohibiting educational institutions from pursuing policies to limit collaboration with federal immigration officials. Georgia and Indiana passed such laws.
California and Texas clearly demonstrate two opposing approaches to federal-local cooperation in the field of immigration. Increasingly, states are diverging on these and other policy issues, including public safety, education, health, and social services. Such dramatic differences affect the economic and social future of the United States as a whole, as this policy creates integration opportunities for millions of immigrants and their children who continue to build lives and contribute to communities throughout the country.
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