Lawmakers in other southern states, including Alabama, are passing bills aimed at furthering President Donald Trump ’s mass deportation agenda. The Alabama Senate on Thursday swiftly advanced a slate of proposals. This comes as leaders in Georgia and Florida pass similar legislation.
Furthering Trump’s immigration crackdown, a series of Alabama bills would allow jails to hold people to verify immigration status; require jails to collect DNA from unauthorized immigrants in their custody; end the state’s recognition of driver licenses from other states that are issued without proof of citizenship; and make it a felony to bring an undocumented immigrant into the state.
“If you come to the country legally, if you come into Alabama legally, then these bills don’t affect you,” said Republican Sen. Wes Kitchens, a sponsor of one of the bills.
The bills now move to the Alabama House over the opposition of Democrats, who accused Republicans of “grandstanding.”
Jasmin Hernadez-Alamillo, the daughter of Mexican immigrants and a recent graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said she’s concerned the proposals will lead to racial profiling in traffic stops — and said the measures make her rethink living in the state.
“I don’t necessarily want to be part of a state that is going to continually perpetuate this negative sentiment around marginalized communities,” Hernadez-Alamillo said.
Also on Thursday, the Georgia Senate passed a bill allowing local governments to be sued if they don’t cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.
The bill would strengthen a Georgia law passed last year after Venezuelan immigrant Jose Ibarra, who authorities say entered the U.S. illegally, murdered 22-year-old University of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley. That law mandates law enforcement agencies cooperate with federal officials in identifying and detaining undocumented immigrants — and punishes them if they don’t.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a sweeping package of immigration laws on Thursday.
Republicans say the laws put Florida — long a haven for immigrants — on the leading edge of conservative-controlled states working to leverage state and local resources for federal immigration enforcement.
As Trump supporters in state capitols across the country race to deliver on the president’s signature issue — despite concerns from immigrant advocates — lawmakers in Florida are teeing up a potential fight with the courts as they advance a provision that critics argue is unconstitutional.
Florida’s new legislation mandates the death penalty for immigrants in the U.S. without legal authorization who commit capital offenses such as first degree murder or child rape. It's a provision that goes above and beyond Trump’s executive orders.
