A week after his inauguration, President Donald Trump has unleashed Border Czar Tom Holman to secure the border and remove criminal illegals from the country's interior.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is conducting raids in sanctuary cities, targeting the criminal illegal element that has embedded itself within those communities. Federal and state Alabama lawmakers have praised Trump's enforcement, and the Alabama Legislature is looking to shore up the state's role in preparation for the February 4 legislative session.
State Rep. Ernie Yarbrough (R-Trinity) has filed HB7, a state version of the Laken Riley Act recently passed by Congress, to allow state and local law enforcement to create agreements with ICE to enforce the laws surrounding the detention and removal of illegal immigrants. Current law only allows these agreements to be entered into by the Alabama Attorney General.
The bill's text reads, "This bill would provide that state and local law enforcement agencies may enter into memorandums of understanding and agreements with the United States Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, and any other federal agency for the purpose of enforcing federal immigration and customs laws and the detention, removal, and investigation of illegal aliens and the immigration status of any person in this state."
The bill passed out of committee last session but did not reach the floor due to time constraints.
"The effectiveness of this bill is largely contingent upon having a federal government that also believes in doing its job," Yarbrough told 1819 News. "Once you pass legislation that says, "Hey, federal government, we're going to do our job," then having legislation like this actually becomes very real boots on the ground."
Yarbrough affirmed that the greater goal of having state and local partners enter into MOUs with the federal government is to strengthen effectiveness. "Local law enforcement, which is already, you know, obviously has a much more embedded, aware presence in our communities because the local law enforcement lives as it were, and works on a day-to-day basis in our local communities, that means that now they can be a really effective partner with the federal government."
If passed, the bill would invest state and local law enforcement with powers to arrest an illegal alien based on his or her status in violation of any federal immigration law and house them in local and county jails. It would require any municipality to honor immigration detainer requests "issued by the Department of Homeland Security, in certain circumstances." It would also give state and local officers powers to transport illegals to the custody of the federal government.
State Rep. Chip Brown (R-Hollinger's Island) has filed HB3, which would strengthen the sentences for crimes committed by an illegal alien.
According to WSFA, Brown said there had not been enough effort to hold illegal immigrants accountable for crimes.
"They wouldn't actually be punished," Brown told the outlet. "They'd just be let go."
WSFA added, "The lawmaker points to a recent case out of Elmore County where a man in the U.S. allegedly tried to kidnap a girl at a local business. Law enforcement later discovered the man had been deported five times."
As 1819 News reported, illegal alien Yordy Centeno-Melchor was arrested and is being held by the Elmore County Sheriff for attempted kidnapping. Josh Cochran, assistant district attorney for the 19th Judicial Circuit, petitioned that Centeno-Melchor remains in sheriff's custody. The fear is that if Centeno-Melchor is turned over to ICE, he will be deported, thwarting any effort to get justice for the child victim.
According to Yarbrough, HB7 is part of a package of immigration bills that the House Speaker requested be put together. Both HB7 and Brown's HB3 would work in concert, assisting Alabama law enforcement in maintaining its borders and ensuring greater safety for Alabamians.
Jennifer Oliver O'Connell, As the Girl Turns, is an investigative journalist, author, opinion analyst, and contributor to 1819 News, Redstate, and other publications. Jennifer writes on Politics and Pop Culture, with occasional detours into Reinvention, Yoga, and Food. You can read more about Jennifer's world at her As the Girl Turns website. You can also follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Telegram.
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
