Michigan House Votes to Tie State Funding to Immigration Compliance
The Michigan House recently passed a resolution that aims to restrict state funding for local governments that do not fully cooperate with immigration enforcement efforts. This decision, primarily supported by Republicans, mandates that local governments disclose their immigration policies to the House when seeking special funding through spending bills.
According to House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Twp), the resolution is intended to prevent areas from becoming “sanctuary” jurisdictions. Hall emphasized the resolution’s goal is to ensure compliance with federal immigration laws, stating, “What I’m trying to do here is make sure that these jurisdictions that are considering these policies understand if you become a sanctuary jurisdiction, you’re not going to get pork projects.”
However, the resolution has met with criticism from Democrats and advocacy groups. House Minority Leader Ranjeev Puri (D-Canton) expressed concerns over the resolution’s vagueness. “We’re in the land of hypotheticals a little bit here. I don’t know what this resolution is going to mean,” Puri said. “There’s so much vagueness in it. We don’t know who it’s going to apply to, what criteria needs to be met, what funding is at risk.”
During a House Government Operations Committee hearing, organizations criticized the resolution for potentially fostering a culture of fear and hindering community services. The ACLU of Michigan, in its written testimony, questioned the resolution’s lack of clarity on who would review the submitted information.
Liz Balck, the ACLU’s West Michigan Policy Strategist, warned that the resolution could lead to legal challenges. Balck highlighted concerns about the lack of guidance for state legislators who would review the documents, stating, “No other instructions are given. Presumably state legislators will then review the documents once the documents have made their way to the House. But without proper education and training in this complex area of law, how will non-immigration officials decide what is or is not considered ‘subverting immigration enforcement’ or whether a policy has refused ‘to comply with federal immigration enforcement measures’?”
In response to these concerns, Republicans maintain that the resolution’s details are still being finalized. Representative Mike Harris (R-Waterford), drawing on his experience as a former law enforcement officer, asserted that compliance with federal immigration laws is straightforward. “Coming from personal experience with dealing with (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) detainers and whatnot, it’s very clear what the ICE detainers are for. This is not something that’s new to communities or law enforcement agencies. They know how these operate as far as the way the resolution is written,” Harris explained.
The resolution does not require further legislative action to be implemented.
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