Amid the onslaught of illegal immigrants on the US borders, Idaho lawmakers approved new immigration legislation that compels all non-US citizens to enter the state at an official port of entry. The bill also allows law enforcement agencies to verify a person’s immigration status and allows judicial members to send the migrant back.
In a 53-15 vote on Friday, the bill is now on its way to the Idaho Senate for approval. House Bill 753 copied the highly contested Texas law.
Rep. Jaron Crane (R-Nampa) authored the bill, which was fast-tracked in the Idaho House of Representatives.
The bill includes exceptions for people who have a legal permit to enter the US, such as through a work visa, people allowed for asylum, and individuals who were granted benefits under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
For Rep. Crane, the bill is a law-and-order bill that is crafted to empower local police authorities and magistrate judges to enforce immigration laws that the federal government overlooks.
“This is not targeting any demographic; this is targeting people that are here illegally,” Crane said in a debate in the chamber last week. “If you are here legally, you have nothing to worry about.”
Furthermore, the Napa lawmaker clarified that funds needed to implement the law and defend the bill in any lawsuits should come from the state’s constitutional defense fund. Fellow GOP lawmaker Rep. Greg Lanting (R-Twin Falls) then asked for an estimate of how much Crane thinks it would cost to defend the bill.
“I believe it to be constitutionally sound, and I think we are going to be just fine—so zero,” Crane answered.
Crane and fellow GOP legislators were able to finish and complete the entire process in just two days.
Rep. Douglas Pickett (R-Oakley), despite agreeing to the law, raises concern about “how the bill has come so quickly.”
Pickett, as well as four other Republicans, joined the Democrats in opposing the bill.
Since last year, illegal immigration woes have been a point of debate, especially between President Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
According to the Center for Immigration Studies, which demands stringent border policies, 3.7 million migrants have trespassed the US border since Biden became president.
On March 26, the Supreme Court agreed that Texas Senate Bill 4 could take effect, but it was turned down again by a federal appeals court.
Texas Senate Bill 4, where the exact provisions of House Bill 753 originated, stirred controversy as the bill empowers state forces to detain and deport illegal migrants.
