Immigration advocates blast controversial bill that clears Senate committee
A Kentucky Senate committee approved a measure Thursday that would ban “sanctuary” policies by police and most public agencies, setting aside objections by immigration advocates and attorneys who warned that Senate Bill 1 will increase racial profiling and stir more fear among immigrants.
The revised bill cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee after emotional testimony on a vote of 7-2, with one pass vote. Voting against Senate Bill 1, the designated priority of the Senate, were Sens. Alice Forgy Kerr, R-Lexington, and Gerald Neal, D-Louisville. Passing was Sen. Robin Webb, D-Grayson.
The bill now goes to the Senate, where its sponsor, Sen. Danny Carroll, R-Paducah, said the Republican-led chamber may vote on it next Monday.
The bill basically requires local police and most public agencies other than local school districts to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in dealing with illegal immigrants.
Carroll presented to the committee a revised measure that would exempt certain public employees, such as those at domestic violence shelters and rape crisis centers, from the mandate to help ICE. His original bill required most public employees to use their “best efforts” to help federal immigration officials. His revised bill would stop the affected public employees from using such actions as arrest or detention.
“Nothing requires them to do anything proactive,” said Carroll.
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.
Carroll kept emphasizing during the committee hearing that the bill was a law-enforcement issue and not an immigration issue and that he simply sought cooperation between local police and federal immigration agents.
Six witnesses representing immigrants disagreed.
Ron Russell, an immigration rights advocate and lawyer, said many local police officers are not trained to enforce immigration law.
“How is an untrained law-enforcement officer able to enforce immigration laws without significant education and training?” he asked, adding the Association of Police Chiefs oppose such legislation as Carroll’s.
Russell also predicted more racial profiling with SB 1 and said most immigrants are law-abiding citizens.
Mirna Lozano, outreach coordinator for Kentucky Dream Coalition from Springfield, said the bill would increase fear among immigrants of police. She said the home of her grandfather, an immigrant, recently was robbed but he was afraid to call police.
Carroll called some of the comments by the opponents “insulting” and said they will needlessly scare immigrants. He said he was for legal, but not illegal, immigrants.
That’s why, he said, Democrats should “give the president his wall,” a reference to President Donald Trump’s efforts to build a wall on the southern border of the United States to deter illegal immigrants, and Republicans should provide a clearer path to citizenship for immigrants.
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.
Several committee members pressed him on what constitutes a valid request.
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.
This story was originally published January 30, 2020 at 1:33 PM.
