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GOP-Led States May Aid Deportation Plan12/10 06:13
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- As President-elect Donald Trump assembles his
administration, Republican governors and lawmakers in some states are already
rolling out proposals that could help him carry out his pledge to deport
millions of people living in the U.S. illegally.
Lawmakers in a growing number of states are proposing to give local law
officers the power to arrest people who entered the country illegally,
mirroring recent laws in Texas and elsewhere that have been placed on hold
while courts weigh whether they unconstitutionally usurp federal authority.
Other legislation filed ahead of next year's legislative sessions would
require local law enforcement agencies to notify federal immigration officials
when they take someone into custody who is in the country illegally, even if
the charges have nothing to do with their immigration status. Though not
specifically requested by Trump, many of the state proposals would complement
his immigration policies.
"We would be finding people who are in violation of this law, and we would
be sort of hand-delivering them to the nearest port of deportation so that they
could be removed in a safe and orderly fashion," said Missouri state Sen.
Curtis Trent, who is sponsoring one of the proposals.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security estimates that 11 million
unauthorized immigrants were living in the U.S. as of 2022, the latest
statistics available. While campaigning, Trump talked about creating "the
largest mass deportation program in history" and called for using the National
Guard and domestic police forces in the effort.
Some Democratic-led states already are raising resistance. The California
Legislature has convened a special session to try to shield people from
potential Trump policies, including by boosting legal aid for immigrants facing
deportation.
Lawmakers in numerous states are likely to try to thwart or cooperate with
Trump's immigration agenda, Tim Storey, CEO of the National Conference of State
Legislatures, said Monday.
In Missouri, Trent's bill would empower local law officers to arrest people
for a new state crime of "improper entry by an alien," punishable by a fine of
up to $100,000 and a court-ordered ride to the U.S. border.
A separate bill by Missouri state Sen.-elect David Gregory would offer a
$1,000 reward to informants who tip off police about people in the country
illegally and allow private bounty hunters to find and detain them.
Missouri's Republican Gov.-elect Mike Kehoe hasn't endorsed a specific
legislative plan after campaigning against illegal immigration and the scourge
of fentanyl smuggled across the U.S. border. But he told The Associated Press:
"If they're here illegally, it definitely should trigger something more than it
does now."
Immigrant advocacy groups already are raising alarm about some state
proposals. Missouri's proposed bounty system would "create absolute chaos and
division," said Ashley DeAzevedo, president of American Families United, which
advocates for U.S. citizens married to foreign nationals.
Although many Americans support a path to citizenship for people living in
the U.S. illegally, support for deportation also has grown. More than 4 in 10
voters said most immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally should be deported to
the country they came from, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than
120,000 voters in this year's election. That's up from about 3 in 10 in 2020.
More than half of voters said most immigrants in the U.S. illegally should be
offered a chance to apply for legal status, down from about 7 in 10 who said
this in 2020, according to AP VoteCast.
Many Republicans point to Texas as a model for immigration enforcement. Its
$11 billion Operation Lone Star program has erected razor wire and other
barriers along the Mexican border, stationed state troopers and Texas National
Guard members in border towns and bused thousands of migrants to Democratic-led
"sanctuary cities" such as New York, Chicago, Denver, Philadelphia and
Washington. Texas law officers also have made tens of thousands of arrests,
including many for trespassing on private property.
Tom Homan, Trump's "border czar," visited Texas last month and said its
border security tactics can be a model for the Trump administration. Texas Gov.
Greg Abbott's office confirmed that it's been in regular contact with Trump's
team about strategies.
Following Texas' lead, Republican-led legislatures in Iowa, Louisiana and
Oklahoma passed measures allowing law officers to arrest people who are in the
U.S. illegally. Shortly after Trump's election, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt
announced he was working on a plan to deport some of the more than 500
immigrants currently in Oklahoma prisons who are not legal citizens.
Arizona voters last month also approved a ballot measure letting local
police arrest migrants suspected of illegally entering from Mexico, though it
won't kick in until a similar law in Texas or another state has been in effect
for 60 consecutive days.
Other Republican state measures seek to boost cooperation between local law
officers and federal immigration officials.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox recently announced an initiative to improve
coordination with federal officials to identify undocumented immigrants in the
state's criminal justice system and turn them over for deportation. Cox said
there will be "zero tolerance" for "those who demonstrate a threat to public
safety while in the country illegally."
A Georgia law enacted earlier this year requires jailers to check the
immigration status of inmates and apply to help enforce federal immigration
laws. The measure gained traction after the murder of University of Georgia
student Laken Riley. A Venezuelan man who had entered the U.S. illegally was
convicted of killing her and sentenced to life in prison.
North Carolina's Republican-controlled legislature last month overrode a
veto by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper to enact a law directing sheriffs to comply
with federal immigration agents' requests to hold inmates. That came after
several Democratic sheriffs from urban counties refused to cooperate with U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Other Democratic governors dealing with Republican-led legislatures are
pushing back against the potential for sweeping deportation plans. Democratic
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said she supports deporting people who commit crimes
while living in the U.S. illegally, but she won't send out the National Guard
to help enforce federal immigration laws.
Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, who also faces a Republican-led
Legislature, said undocumented immigrants "are a really important part of our
economy" in sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing.
"Trying to move them out of the country is irrational," Evers said. "So,
we'll do whatever we can to avoid that."
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