The Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association and the Major City Police Chiefs Association sent a letter to state legislators asking them to support Gov. Charlie Baker’s “commonsense” bill that would allow the police to honor ICE detainer requests. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled last month that holding people beyond their jail sentence, even for an ICE detainer, violated state law.
The Denver City Council and Mayor Michael Hancock have proposed a new ordinance which would further limit cooperation between Denver local law enforcement and ICE. The sanctuary city currently does not honor ICE detainer requests and this new policy would limit ICE’s ability to work within Denver’s local jails to interview and apprehend criminal illegal aliens.
Three state legislators are leading the effort to repeal Oregon’s sanctuary law that prohibits local and state police from enforcing federal immigration laws. The legislators have started an initiative petition in order to gain enough voter signatures to force a referendum vote in the 2018 general election.
The Department of Justice warned nine jurisdictions that they could lose federal grant funds unless they demonstrate compliance with federal anti-sanctuary law. The nine jurisdictions are Chicago, Cook County Ill. (encompasses Chicago) New Orleans, Philadelphia, Las Vegas, Miami, Milwaukee, New York City and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
U.S. District Court Judge William Orrick will hold a hearing today on requests by San Francisco and Santa Clara County for an injunction preventing the Administration from sanctioning sanctuary cities. The local governments are seeking standing to sue even though the Administration has not suspended federal funds for their or other jurisdictions.
Legislation that would have made Maryland a “sanctuary state” and a bill that would have lowered tuition rates for Tennessee illegal aliens failed in their respective state legislatures. The bills were seen as challenges to President Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
Tennessee is challenging the constitutionality of the federal refugee resettlement program, claiming that the state’s sovereignty is violated by being forced to spend taxpayer dollars on a program in which it does not participate. Thomas More Law Center, a non-profit public interest law firm, will represent Tennessee in the lawsuit.
Santa Clara County, California filed a motion seeking a nationwide court injunction on the president’s sanctuary executive order (EO), which threatens to withhold federal funds from local governments that prohibit communications with ICE. The county sued the Trump Administration earlier in the month alleging the sanctuary sanctions are unconstitutional.
A three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals threw out a lower court injunction that blocked Texas from enforcing a 2015 law making it a third-degree felony to “harbor” illegal aliens. The panel ruled that two Texas landlords, who has sued seeking protection from the law, did not have standing because they could not prove a credible threat of prosecution.
Mercury News reports the State of California has issued driver’s licenses to about 806,000 illegal aliens in the two years since a state law took effect. The licenses facilitate their ability to remain in the United States and compete with citizens and legal residents for jobs.
A new study by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) examines the reasons sanctuary jurisdictions use to justify their policies and offers solutions on what tools the new Trump administration could use to address the problem and safety concerns they create.
President-elect Donald Trump pledged to block federal funding to sanctuary cities as part of his 100-day action plan, but the Democratic mayors of Chicago, New York City, and other cities say they won’t change their policies protecting criminal aliens. The new Administration may focus first on sanctuary cities that refuse to comply with ICE detainer requests while Congress considers legislation to further define sanctuary city prohibitions and the president’s sanctions authority.
Harford County, Maryland Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler signed a 287(g) federal/local partnership agreement that will allow his deputies to screen for illegal aliens in the county’s jail who have committed crimes that threaten public safety or who otherwise threaten national security. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) bureau had largely shelved the 287(g) Program in an effort to shield illegal aliens from deportation but the gambit also undermined the agency's policy of prioritizing criminal-alien deportations. The Harford County agreement is part of policy reversal meant to shore up the deportation of criminal aliens and save face.
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker issued a new policy that allows state police to detain certain removable aliens at the request of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) bureau. The move reverses a sanctuary policy imposed by former Gov. Deval Patrick that barred State Police from honoring ICE detention requests and limited communication between agencies.
A U.S. District Court judge dismissed a lawsuit seeking to give Oregon driver cards to illegal aliens notwithstanding a voter referendum to the contrary. The state in 2013 enacted Senate Bill 833, which authorized those driver cards, but 66% of Oregon voters chose to overturn the law by defeating a November 2014 ballot referendum.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld an Arizona law that made it a crime to steal someone’s identity for the purpose of obtaining a job. The law had targeted illegal aliens committing identity theft but the court said it did not violate the Constitution because it applied to others as well.
Oregon voters will soon have the chance to vote on an E-Verify mandate for businesses with 5 or more employees after the state's Supreme Court ruled on the final ballot language last week. Oregonians for Immigration Reform have been working for years to get the initiative, IP 52, on the ballot after successfully passing an initiative to ban driver's licenses to illegal aliens in 2014.
The Wisconsin Assembly passed legislation (AB 450) yesterday that would penalize local governments for maintaining policies that prevent officers from reporting the immigration status of anyone charged with a crime. If a judge finds a city in violation, state aid could be reduced by between $500 and $5,000 for each day the sanctuary policy remains in place. The measure now goes to the Senate.
The Florida House yesterday passed a bill (HB 675) that would penalize local governments for adopting illegal-alien sanctuary policies – i.e., those that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement officials -- and would provide a cause of action for personal injury or wrongful death caused by a city’s sanctuary policies. The bill now moves to the Florida Senate where it faces an uncertain fate.
A bill that would target jurisdictions that enact sanctuary policies is moving through Pennsylvania’s state Senate. The bill is similar to Sen. Vitter’s Stop Sanctuary Cities Act that was blocked in the Senate in July.
North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory has signed HB 318, which expands on the state's existing mandatory E-Verify law and forbids local jurisdictions from passing sanctuary policies. The state legislature took action on the bill after several high-profile crimes occurred in sanctuary cities over the summer.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) has agreed to detain illegal aliens in state custody for pickup and eventual deportation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). His predecessor, Martin O’Malley (D), last year established a policy of refusing ICE detainer requests, which resulted in the release of criminal aliens from the state-run Baltimore City Detention Center onto the streets.
A bill that would ban illegal-alien sanctuary cities, local entities that do not enforce immigration laws, passed through a Texas Senate subcommittee on Monday. SB 185, introduced by state Sen. Charles Perry (R-Lubbock), would cut off state funding for local governments or governmental entities that adopt policies that forbid police officers from asking about the immigration status of a person detained or arrested.
The Arizona Republic -- Michael Kiefer
Another of Arizona's immigration laws was struck down Wednesday when the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unconstitutional a law denying bond to undocumented immigrants charged with "serious" crimes.
The law, known as Proposition 100, was passed by voters in November 2006, during the height of anti-immigrant sentiment in the state.
Boston Herald -- Joe Battenfeld, Hillary Chabot
The Patrick administration has informed Homeland Security officials the state “will have the ability” to dole out special driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants as part of its plan to comply with a tougher federal ID law.
The Administration of Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) will implement plans to eliminate state support for illegal aliens who apply for or receive General Assistance benefits. Although the plan is consistent with a federal ban on aid to illegal aliens, Maine Attorney General Janet Mills (D) said the move may be unconstitutional.
The Supreme Court has rejected a challenge to a ruling by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals that ultimately upholds two local immigration enforcement ordinances enacted by Fremont, Nebraska. One ordinance requires all businesses to use E-Verify, and the other requires all renters to obtain an occupancy license that can only be issued to U.S. citizens or foreign citizens who are in the country legally.
The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear Arizona’s appeal of a lower court ruling on the state’s “harboring” law. The 9th U.S. Court of Appeals had blocked implementation of the measure, which made it a state crime to knowingly harbor or transport illegal aliens.
A new poll might seem like a nightmare for proponents of the N.Y. DREAM Act, which would give illegal aliens access to tuition financial assistance. A poll taken during the period when the bill failed in the N.Y. Senate says that 56% of likely voters oppose offering tuition aid to illegal aliens.
Tennessee state senator Todd Gardenhire, a first-term Republican from Chattanooga, withdrew legislation he sponsored that would have extended taxpayer subsidized in-state tuition to illegal aliens. Gardenshire said he doesn’t have enough support to get his bill through the Senate or House this year.
Legislation passed the Florida House that would give illegal-alien students partial tuition waivers enabling them to pay the same in-state tuition rates as Florida residents. The measure now heads to the Senate where related legislation already squeaked by one committee.
Proponents of a referendum that seeks to overturn an Oregon law giving illegal aliens access to driver cards defeated an attempt to undermine the ballot measure. A bill that would have re-written the referendum title in a manner favorable to keeping the law failed to clear the State Senate before adjournment.
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined appeals by Farmers Branch, Texas, and Hazleton, Pennsylvania for a hearing on their immigration-enforcement laws. Also, South Carolina agreed to a settlement that would bar enforcement of some immigration law provisions in exchange for related court challenges being dropped.
Washington State legislators cleared for the governor’s consideration a bill that gives illegal aliens access to financial aid at state-run universities and colleges. Gov. Jay Inslee has said he will sign the bill.
If you were to do a quick Google news search of “California drought and population growth,” you’d be lucky to find more than a few passing statements buried deep within articles regurgitating the same information. All of the news coverage on the devastating drought focuses on short-term problems and shallow solutions. Most writing about the drought assume that population growth is a factor that won’t help California’s water shortage. Unfortunately, I have yet to find any news coverage that attempts to come up with real solutions to rapid population growth in the We
Voters in Fremont, Nebraska resoundingly defeated an attempt to repeal an ordinance that requires all renters to attest they have legal permission to live in the U.S. Unofficial election results show that the repeal attempt failed by a 60-40 margin.
According to a recent Congressional Research Service report, the number of people granted temporary asylum jumped from 13,931 to 36,026 in the last fiscal year. This tripling of claims has lawmakers worried that illegal border crossers, including members of drug cartels, may be filing fraudulent claims to slow their deportation.
Illegal aliens in Georgia and Virginia are suing higher education agencies in their states to win access to taxpayer-subsidized in-state tuition rates. The illegal aliens claim they are eligible for the lower rates because they were granted a two-year stay of deportation under the Obama Administration’s Deferred Action for Childhood (DACA) Arrivals program.
A bill being considered in the New Jersey legislature that would allow illegal-alien students who meet certain requirements to receive in-state tuition rates and access to financial aid at state universities and colleges cleared its final hurdle before it will move to the Assembly floor for a final vote. If passed by the Assembly, which is expected, it will advance to Gov. Chris Christie's desk for his approval.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced he would veto a Senate-passed bill (S2479) that would offer taxpayer-subsidized in-state tuition and financial assistance to illegal aliens. Christie objects to the financial aid aspect of the bill, but supports so-called tuition equity for illegal aliens.
Fairfax County, Va., is noted for having one of the finest public school systems in the nation. The foreign language programs, extracurricular programs, and experiences students have in the classroom are first-rate and (sadly) go far beyond what most other students in this nation can expect to have. However, all of that may be about to change.
The group Oregonians for Immigration Reform succeeded in placing on the ballot a referendum that will allow voters to decide whether a recently-enacted bill giving illegal aliens driving privileges will remain law. On October 18th, the Oregon Secretary of State’s office officially qualified Referendum No. 301 for the November 2014 ballot.
A new poll from Rasmussen finds that 68% of Americans oppose giving driver's licenses to illegal aliens. The poll comes just a few days after the state with the nation's largest illegal-alien population - California - signed into law a bill that allows illegal aliens to obtain a driver's license. Only 22% of Americans think illegal aliens should be allowed to legally obtain a license.
Today, Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law a bill (AB 60) that allows illegal aliens to apply for driver’s licenses. The California Department of Motor Vehicles estimates 2 million illegal aliens could apply for licenses under the new law.
A federal judge ruled that Maricopa County, Arizona cannot use a 2005 anti-smuggling law to criminally charge illegal aliens who paid to be smuggled into the U.S. The law was believed to be an important factor in shifting human smuggling traffic from Arizona to other border states.
Los Angeles County officials say that illegal-aliens parents residing in the county with their children will likely receive approximately $650 million of taxpayer-subsidized welfare benefits in 2013. County Supervisor Michael Antonovich announced the report on Monday and said it was based on information through July from the Department of Public Social Services.
The California Assembly cleared for Gov. Jerry Brown’s consideration a bill (AB 4) that would bar state and local police from holding illegal aliens for deportation under the federal Secure Communities program unless they have been convicted of certain crimes. The governor, who vetoed a similar measure last year, has until October 13th to sign or veto the measure.
A number of influential Georgia State Senators wrote their U.S. Senators, Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson, to urge a no vote on the Senate comprehensive amnesty bill – S. 744. The letter said, “(w)hile we undoubtedly need to address the complex issue of immigration reform, we must ensure we’re doing what’s right for all Americans, especially the people of Georgia.”
State Legislators for Legal Immigration, a group comprised legislators from 38 states, urged Members of the U.S. Senate to reject S. 744, the comprehensive amnesty bill.
The Georgia Legislature cleared for Gov. Nathan Deal’s consideration SB 160, a bill that closes a number of unintended loopholes in the state’s 2011 immigration-enforcement law. Rep. Dustin Hightower, who sponsored related House legislation, said SB 160 “goes a long way in protecting the taxpayers of Georgia by filling a lot of loopholes that were there where illegal immigrants were taking advantage of different public benefits.”
