Minnesota House Democrats blocked debate on a bill Monday that would require county attorneys to report illegal immigrants who are arrested for violent crimes to ICE.
House GOP Leader Harry Niska, R-Ramsey, moved to take up House File 16 during Monday’s floor session.
The bill would invalidate local ordinances that prohibit communication or cooperation with immigration authorities. Additionally, it would require county attorneys to report illegal immigrants who are arrested for violent crimes to ICE.
Rep. Max Rymer, R-North Branch, said public polling shows “massive support” for local and federal authorities cooperating on immigration matters.
“What this bill does is it creates a streamlined communication between everyone who needs to carry out immigration enforcement,” said Rymer, the bill’s chief author.
Rep. Walter Hudson, R-Albertville, said Operation Metro Surge — the Trump administration’s recent immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota — would have been less chaotic with increased cooperation.
“It’s actually a pretty recent development that we don’t have bipartisan agreement on the enforcement of immigration law,” he said. “Suffice it to say, it is unquestionable that all of the alleged or actual negative externalities that came from Operation Metro Surge would not have happened were it for cooperation between local, state and federal law enforcement.”
WATCH: Minnesota Rep. Walter Hudson speaks in support of a bill to require counties to report illegal immigrants arrested for violent crimes to ICE
The bill would also override local ordinances that prohibit communication or cooperation with ICE. A motion to take up the bill was… pic.twitter.com/sPKBCFwK7c
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House Democrats said immigration enforcement is the job of the federal government and not local police, called the bill a distraction, and said it undermines trust between the community and law enforcement.
“This bill is a red herring intended to distract us from the real issues facing Minnesotans right now, a federal government that is violating our constitutional protections and undermining our economy,” said Rep. Sandra Feist, DFL-New Brighton.
House Democrat Leader Jamie Long, DFL-Minneapolis, said most of those arrested during Operation Metro Surge did not have a criminal record.
“So this is not a local law enforcement issue. In fact, Tom Homan himself said he didn’t want local law enforcement to be immigration officers,” said Long.
He also claimed the bill seeks to address a “non-issue” because cooperation between state and federal authorities has improved.
Niska said the bill simply establishes in law a “common-sense level of cooperation” between law enforcement agencies.
Ultimately, all 67 Democrats in the House voted against taking up the bill for consideration.
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
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