GOP lawmakers in Minnesota seek to hinder immigration sanctuaries
A proposal in the Minnesota Legislature would require local governments to work with federal immigration officials as President Trump's administration vows the deportation of undocumented immigrants.
The GOP-backed bill would mandate that county attorneys report people without legal status who are arrested on suspicion of violent crimes to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, regardless of whether they're ultimately charged.
It would also override cities and counties that choose to implement policies or ordinances the limit or prohibit cooperation with federal immigration officials. Some local governments in the state — including the largest cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul — have their own rules keeping city employees from inquiring about immigration status or being used for immigration enforcement.
Supporters of this proposal say its goal is to boost public safety. Chief author Rep. Max Rymer, R-North Branch, noted that Minneapolis officials and police recently doubled down on their policy forbidding officers from asking about immigration status, according to MPR News.
"It's a very narrowly focused bill. Ultimately, we had an election in November that was primarily adjudicated on illegal immigration. It was a No. 1 or No. 2 issue for most Americans and what this bill does is help keep our communities safe," he said in a news conference Wednesday.
But opposition is strong from immigrant rights and victims groups, as well as local governments. St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter wrote to the House public safety panel that the proposal would divert critical city resources away from local needs and "bullies us to handing over local resources to a sector of enforcement that has never been our responsibility."
The League of Minnesota Cities, which represents more than 800 cities across the state, wrote in a letter to the committee that discussed the legislation Wednesday that the proposal would "unnecessarily" interfere with local decision-making and could erode the trust built between local law enforcement and immigrant communities.
"This legislation threatens to compromise good relationships between city officials and immigrant communities. Local law enforcement agencies work cooperatively on a regular basis with ICE, while recognizing that immigration enforcement is primarily the federal government's responsibility," Anne Finn, intergovernmental relations director of the League of Minnesota Cities, said in a letter.
Rymer reiterated that the proposal only targets individuals accused of violent crimes, not all undocumented immigrants.
"Some of the feedback I've gotten back on this bill is what kind of door does this open up? It doesn't open a door. It is very narrowly focused in its scope and making sure we're first and foremost matching what the Trump administration said when it said we're going to primarily deal with violent criminal offenders," he said.
In order to advance, it needs support from Republicans and Democrats as the House stares down a return to a tie next week. Rymer noted that the Laiken Riley Act, which expanded the types of crimes for which noncitizens should face mandatory detention, received bipartisan support in Congress before Mr. Trump recently signed it into law.
"I think this is a very reasonable proposal that should get broad bipartisan support as well," Rymer said.
Deportation is a real fear for people in the Twin Cities — about 160,000 people are at risk for it. A bill to make Minnesota a sanctuary state failed last year.
