By JONATHAN MATTISE (Associated Press)
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) — Republican lawmakers in many states were already trying to make their states more involved in immigration enforcement when the Supreme Court, at least temporarily, allowed Texas to enforce a new law giving police extensive powers to arrest migrants suspected of crossing the border illegally.
Shortly after, another court stopped the Texas law again. On the same day, Iowa passed a similar bill.
In New Hampshire, lawmakers are close to passing a law that would allow police to level trespassing charges against individuals suspected of entering the U.S. from Canada illegally.
Georgia Republicans have moved forward with a proposal that mandates eligible cities and counties to seek agreements for certain immigration-related enforcement in jails to assist the federal government after a Venezuelan man was accused by police of killing nursing student Laken Riley on the University of Georgia campus. Immigration authorities state the man entered the U.S. unlawfully in 2022. It is uncertain whether he applied for asylum.
On Wednesday, the state Senate paid tribute to Riley’s family. During the ceremony, her father, Jason Riley, attributed his daughter’s death to immigrant-protecting sanctuary policies in Athens, where University of Georgia is located, and urged Gov. Brian Kemp to declare an “invasion,” echoing Texas’ argument for justifying a series of increased measures along the border. Last month, a federal judge in Texas dismissed those claims while halting the state’s new arrest law.
“A man with an evil heart stole her life. He was in this country and in this state illegally,” Jason Riley said. “My hope for every senator in this chamber is that you protect citizens from this illegal invasion.”
Meanwhile, it’s unclear how Republican-led states, many of which are promoting different bills and deploying National Guard members to the border, will embrace the Texas-style law, especially if another court ruling supports the policy. Oklahoma isn’t waiting to test the waters — GOP House and Senate leaders have accepted the idea of a Texas-style anti-immigration law, with House Speaker Charles McCall announcing plans Wednesday to introduce a similar measure right away.
The Biden administration is suing to block the Texas measure, alleging it’s a clear violation of federal authority that would cause turmoil in immigration law and disrupt international relations.
Tennessee lawmakers are nearing the final stages of a proposal to mandate law enforcement agencies there to cooperate with federal immigration authorities if they discover individuals are in the country illegally. During the brief period that Texas was allowed to enforce its law on Tuesday, the Tennessee House and Senate speakers expressed willingness to consider a similar approach.
“We are monitoring the Texas situation as Gov. Abbott works to protect his state,” House Speaker Cameron Sexton said.
Muzaffar Chishti, a senior fellow at the Migration Policy Institute, stated that these types of immigration policies are usually driven by political motives and bring significant challenges for law enforcement agencies that lack immigration expertise.
Chishti said that it is a big problem to train state officers in an area of enforcement where they have no background or training.
Iowa's bill would make it a more serious crime to enter the state after being denied entry to the U.S., and in some cases, it could be a felony if the person is being arrested for another felony.
Republican Rep. Steven Holt said that the federal government has given up its responsibilities, so states can and should take action.
Democratic Rep. Sami Scheetz argued that immigration is the responsibility of the federal government according to the constitution.
Scheetz said that illegal immigration is a serious problem that needs action, but the approach in the bill does not truly address the issue with compassion, wisdom, and effectiveness.
The bill, which is waiting for Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds' signature, would become effective on July 1.
New Hampshire's border bill dealing with Canada would follow only 21 apprehensions in the state between October 2022 and December 2023, despite the increase in illegal border activity in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection enforcement area that includes New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, and Maine since 2021.
The Republican-led New Hampshire Senate passed the trespassing bill last month. Senate President Jeb Bradley expects it to pass, despite the slimmer House majority for Republicans.
The former U.S. representative said he believes that courts are starting to give states more authority, which is good for legislation like the Texas law, even though the law is on hold for now.
Bradley said that the problem has become significantly worse and Congress cannot be waited for.
Some Democratic-led states are working to expand immigrant rights, such as Maryland, where lawmakers are close to passing a bill to seek a federal waiver allowing people to buy health insurance through the state's health care exchange, no matter their immigration status.
In Massachusetts, a bill is making progress to limit the time homeless individuals can stay in emergency state shelters to nine months, with an additional three months for those who are employed or in job training programs, as the state struggles to find shelter for thousands of migrants arriving there.
Earlier this month, Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs rejected a bill similar to the Texas law. Since then, Republican lawmakers have promised to pass a similar bill and send it to Hobbs.
Arizona lawmakers are working on a measure that would go to voters for approval and would require local governments receiving state money for welfare programs to use a federal employment verification database to check the legal status of recipients and remove those who are not in the U.S. legally.
Opponents view Texas' law as the most significant state effort to control immigration since an Arizona law over a decade ago, parts of which were invalidated by the Supreme Court. That law would have allowed police to arrest people for federal immigration violations, often called the 'show me your papers' bill by opponents.
In GOP-led states, including Georgia, there is a proposed bill that aims to punish cities and counties with sanctuary policies for immigrants who are in the country without permission. The punishment involves cutting off most state aid and removing elected officials from office.
Florida has already passed a law to increase sentences for immigrants in the country illegally who are found driving without a license or committing felonies.
Tennessee is also considering giving judges the option to sentence someone in the country illegally to life without parole for a violent crime involving a deadly weapon or on school property. Another proposal in Tennessee would make it a misdemeanor to knowingly transport someone who is in the country illegally into the state.
At Tennessee’s Capitol, immigrants were advocating on Tuesday when the Supreme Court made a temporary ruling that surprised and shocked the group. Lisa Sherman Luna, executive director of the Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition, expressed concern about the precedent set by the Texas law.
Luna questioned how 'united' states will be with different laws on who can call them home.
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