Lawmakers in Mississippi are considering legislation that would prohibit local officials from interfering with federal immigration enforcement efforts.
House Bill 538, authored by Republican Rep. Lee Yancey, passed in its chamber with a 77-40 vote with very little support from Democrats. The measure prohibits “sanctuary cities,” or jurisdictions that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement in Mississippi. It also bans any state or local entity — including counties, municipalities, law enforcement agencies, colleges, and their respective employees — from interfering with federal authorities working immigration cases.
Taking things a step further, the bill mandates local officials to fully cooperate with federal officials, like Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, when instructed to hold an inmate suspected of living in the U.S. illegally and share information about alleged noncitizens when requested, among other requests.
Any local entity caught in violation of this proposal, if it’s enacted, would be subjected to an investigation and possible legal action from the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, as the bill waives “sovereign immunity,” or protection from lawsuits.
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Now that the bill has cleared one legislative hurdle, another awaits in the Senate, where one lawmaker says there may be an appetite to move it forward. Calling HB 538 “a good bill,” Republican Sen. Jeremy England contended that it’s important to allow federal agents to carry out their assigned duties without interference from Mississippians.
“We don’t want any of this sanctuary city type of business happening here in Mississippi. If federal agents are here to enforce federal law, let them do their work and do that properly,” England said. “If you don’t like the laws, petition your government and let the legislature change them. But under the laws that we have right now, and I think most Mississippians agree, we want those laws enforced. I think that’s a good bill.”
Opponents of the bill argue that there could be ramifications for those trying to prevent federal immigration officers from being held accountable in the event that they broke the law. These concerns have been magnified by a couple of high-profile cases in Minnesota, where American citizens Renee Goode and Alex Pretti were shot and killed by immigration agents on separate occasions.
Taking these concerns into consideration, England acknowledged that he does not want ICE or any other federal agency to burden local law enforcement, especially with possible wrongful death investigations. However, he said the greater overall priority is to ensure that immigration laws are being enforced and that Mississippi officials are helping.
“I don’t want our [Department of Public Safety] commissioner, Sean Tindell, to have to start getting phone calls and [the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation] to have to investigate situations like [Goode’s and Pretti’s], but we do want to make sure that Mississippi is on board with helping deal with this immigration crisis,” England added.
If passed by the Senate and signed into law by Gov. Tate Reeves, HB 538 would go into effect on July 1.