BATON ROUGE.- The Republican majority in the Louisiana Senate on Monday approved a bill that would give local and state police departments the power to detain and jail people in the state who have entered the country illegally, similar to an initiative in Texas .
In the midst of a national dispute between states with Republican governments and the president, Democrat Joe Biden, over how and who should secure the border between the United States and Mexico, Louisiana joins a growing list of legislatures seeking expand the authority of states in matters of border security.
Supporters of the initiative, such as the measure’s author, state Senator Valarie Hodges, say that Louisiana has the “right to defend our nation.” The Republican has accused the federal government of neglecting its responsibilities in enforcing immigration laws.
Opponents argue that the measure is unconstitutional, will do nothing to make the state safer and will only fuel negative and false discourse directed toward migrants.
Across the country, Republican legislatures have promoted strict immigration measures. Oklahoma’s House passed a bill that would prohibit the use of state revenue to provide benefits to those living in the country illegally and residing in the state. A proposal in Tennessee, awaiting signing into law by the governor, would require all law enforcement agencies in the state to contact federal immigration authorities if they discover people who are in the country illegally. Measures similar to parts of the Texas law are awaiting the governor’s signature in Iowa, while one more is pending in the Idaho state legislature.
Although Louisiana does not share a border with Mexico, initiatives and policies directed against immigrants suspected of being in the country illegally have occupied a central place in the political debate during the first four months of the new conservative government. One bill prohibits sanctuary city policies that allow law enforcement agencies to refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities unless ordered by a court. Another would allocate funds for the deployment of elements of the Louisiana National Guard to the US-Mexico border in Texas. The new governor, Republican Jeff Landry, has also directed state agencies to collect and publish data on immigrants in the state.
“I think everyone here knows that we have a crisis at the border and that our federal government is doing nothing to help the states,” Senator Hodges said during Monday’s floor debate.
The Louisiana initiative would criminalize “illegal entry or re-entry” into Louisiana. Illegal reentry includes people who were previously “denied admission, excluded, deported, or otherwise removed from the United States.” The initiative was approved in the Senate in partisan blocks after 10 minutes of debate. The measure now heads to the House of Representatives.
Like the Texas law, which is suspended by order of a federal appeals court that is weighing whether to continue blocking its application while new appeals are resolved, the Louisiana initiative would expand the power of local and state police. Additionally, Hodges said it would “initiate the deportation process.” Enforcement of immigration laws regarding illegal entry into the country and deportations has long been the exclusive domain of federal authorities.
Under Louisiana’s initiative, anyone who violates the proposed law would face up to one year in prison and a $4,000 fine for a first offense, and up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine for a repeat offense. Necessary witnesses or victims of certain crimes—such as homicide, rape, human trafficking, kidnapping, involuntary servitude, and blackmail—would be the exception.
Additionally, the bill would authorize Governor Landry to enter into an interstate agreement with Texas and other states willing to participate in border security efforts led by Texas. Supporters say the provision will help prevent illegal border crossings by sharing information and “state resources to form security systems and physical barriers to deter illegal activity along the border.”
Opponents of the Louisiana bill say it is an abuse of state authority, would increase racial profiling and clog court systems.
“It’s going to create a backlog of cases in our courts, it’s going to drain state resources, it’s not going to really reduce crime or make Louisiana safer,” Huey Fischer Garcia, an attorney with the Southern Poverty Law Center, said during a hearing. about the initiative last month.
If the Louisiana House approves the measure and it is signed into law by the governor, who according to Hodges is in favor of the initiative, it would go into effect only if the Supreme Court ratifies the Texas law or if the United States Constitution is amended. to increase local authority over border security.
Source: With information from AP
