After heavy criticism, sponsor of Kentucky ‘sanctuary’ immigration bill plans changes
Changes are coming to the controversial immigration bill that would ban “sanctuary” policies by police and most public agencies, a measure Senate Republicans labeled their top priority.
Sen. Danny Carroll, R-Paducah, announced on the Senate floor Thursday that he will change parts of Senate Bill 1 and is “committed to keeping our door open for changes.”
The bill requires agencies other than local school districts to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Carroll’s planned changes would exempt others, such as employees of domestic violence shelters and rape crisis centers, from the mandate to help ICE.
The measure, when introduced on the first day of this year’s legislative session, was immediately greeted with criticism. Some claimed it would separate families and increase racial profiling, while Senate Republican leaders and Attorney General Daniel Cameron said in a news conference that it is needed for public safety.
Carroll said Thursday that he has decided to make some changes in the bill after talking to an immigration attorney and other stakeholders in the measure.
His original bill would require almost all public employees, excluding those in public schools, to use “their best efforts” to support enforcement of federal immigration law. It also would prevent public colleges and universities from enacting, adopting or enforcing any “sanctuary policies,” stopping them from granting “illegal immigrants” the right to a lawful presence or status.
Carroll said Thursday his revised bill will add more exemptions. He plans to exempt domestic violence shelters, child-aid centers, rape crisis centers, public advocacy offices, public defenders, and public health departments because of possible conflicts with existing federal law.
He noted that similar organizations are exempt in the 13 states that have such laws.
These generally are not places federal immigration officials would go to check on illegal immigrants, the lawmaker said.
“We felt it was the right thing to do to consider the humanity and human element of the impact of this bill,” he said.
Carroll also said his new bill would clarify that law-enforcement agencies would react to valid requests from federal agencies in compliance with federal and state laws and not require state officers to enforce federal immigration laws on their own.
None of the new provisions “are going to change what we expect the bill to do and it will ensure there is continued cooperation between federal immigration officials and law enforcement officials of our state to protect the people,” said Carroll.
There has been much national debate about sanctuary cities, which limit their cooperation with the national government’s effort to enforce immigration law. There are no Kentucky cities with sanctuary policies, but supporters of SB 1 said they want to make sure that doesn’t change.
Carroll said there has been “much misinformation” about his bill and hopes the changes will quell the criticism.
“There was some perception that there was going to be this rush of enforcement of federal immigration law in our state and we don’t control that,” he said. “The feds control that. Immigration enforcement controls that, and there has been no communications with them to get this law changed so they can send an army in to start arresting people.”
Carroll said he will make his changes in a committee substitute and hopes to bring the bill to a committee next week. He also said he thinks it will fare well in the Senate.
