State Immigration

The State Immigration Laws You Should Know About

In the course of the first year under the Trump administration, states and localities have increasingly pursued immigration policies that serve the best interests of their own communities.

While there were extreme differences in these state-level approaches to immigration, overall more states enacted policies designed to protect, support, and welcome their residents, immigrants and nonimmigrants alike.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), the total number of immigration laws and resolutions passed in 2017 by U.S. states and territories is the highest to date. Specifically, 204 laws and 269 resolutions related to immigration were enacted at the state level last year.

Overall, about 25 percent of enacted bills were budgetary, which has been the case in recent years.

These laws usually appropriate funds for immigrant and refugee services, education programs, or law enforcement.

The most significant trend compared to previous years was an increase in the number of bills explicitly addressing enforcement.

Nearly a fifth of all enacted laws addressed law enforcement issues, with 19 states collectively passing 38 bills.

This focus is not surprising, given that just days after his inauguration President Trump issued an executive order that signaled efforts forcing local officers to work with federal immigration agents in the identification, detention, and deportation of immigrants.