May 11, 2017
By Alan Gomez
At least 33 states considered laws this year to crack down on “sanctuary cities” — nearly double the number from 2016 — following President Trump’s moves against communities that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.
Georgia, Indiana, Mississippi and Texas already passed laws this year that punish local governments and public universities that enact policies to protect undocumented immigrants, and other states are trying to follow suit.
Last year 18 states considered such laws, compared with only four in 2015, according to he National Conference of State Legislatures.
The rush comes after Trump’s repeated warnings on the campaign trail about the dangers caused by “sanctuary cities” and his actions since taking office to cut off their federal funding.
“There’s more sanctuary activity at the state and local level because of the president’s marshaling confidence,” said Dale Wilcox, executive director of the Immigration Reform Law Institute, which has helped state lawmakers craft their bills. “This is what the president’s executive order on sanctuary jurisdictions was meant to hammer home.” … Read the full story by Alan Gomez.
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