A new bill has been presented by Minnesota legislators aiming to stop state and local government entities from barring employees from sharing immigration information requested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Additionally, the proposed legislation mandates county attorneys to notify authorities about any undocumented immigrant detained for a violent offense, regardless of whether formal charges are laid. Moreover, it forbids law enforcement agencies from refusing to collaborate with ICE.
President Donald Trump, who campaigned for an immigration crackdown, loosened restrictions on ICE, allowing broader enforcement.
ICE agents arrest an illegal migrant. (ICE)
Introduced in February, the bill was reviewed by the Minnesota House of Representatives in the Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee, as per FOX 9. It is scheduled to move to the House Elections Finance and Government Operations Committee for further evaluation subsequent to a roll-call vote.
The Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL)-led Minnesota Senate and Gov. Tim Walz will need to be on board for the bill to be signed into law, a tough feat considering the state’s promise to remain a “sanctuary state,” and not cooperate with federal ICE efforts.
Last year, DFL legislators introduced the North STAR Act to make Minnesota a sanctuary state.
ICE is conducting flights to remove illegal immigrants from the U.S. and send them back to their home countries. (ICE)
Those in support of the bill cited the need for the state to follow federal standards on immigration reform. However, critics warned the large scope could be used to target minority communities.
Ben Gleekel with the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota told FOX 9 the bill could make Minnesotans “less safe.”
“Non-citizens and citizen victims of domestic violence and trafficking will suffer the most,” Gleekel said. “They will not risk calling local law enforcement to report a crime, if they know that it means their families will be separated or that they themselves might be apprehended. Prohibiting entities that know their communities best from maintaining clear boundaries between state and federal government will erode the important trust that exists between our immigrant communities and local law enforcement… .”
ICE is already outpacing the total number of arrests in 2024, the agency said Wednesday.
The agency also found tens of thousands of cases that were recorded as arrests actually resulted in releases into American communities.
Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
