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The incoming Trump Administration has promised to pursue mass deportations com January, but various states have pushed back against immigration enforcement. Many US states have laws in place that help protect immigrants when their rights are under attack. Click below to learn more and gather resources.
In support of its more than 10.6 million immigrants, who are crucial to supporting California’s flood production industry, California enacted two significant laws aimed at protecting immigrant rights, particularly in the work space and in relation to immigration enforcement. The Immigrant Worker Protection Act (AB 450), effective January 2018, extracts employer cooperation with federal immigration authorities, including prohibiting workplace immigration raids without a judicial warrant, barring employees from granting access to employee records without a subpoena, and requiring notification of immigration audits to workers.
The state’s immigration population, comprising 15.3% of residents, plays a crucial role in sectors like agriculture, information technology, and manufacturing, with undocumented immigrants making up 3% of the total state population and 21.6% of the immigrant population. Washington has enacted key legislation aimed at limiting local law enforcements involvement in federal immigration enforcement and ensuring protections for immigrant communities. The Keep Washington Working Act (SB 5689), enacted in 2019, restricts local law enforcement’s participation in federal immigration enforcement by prohibiting the use of state resources for immigration related purposes unless required by law or court order. It mandates that state agencies limit the collection of personal data that could be shared with federal immigration authorities and ensures services are provided regardless of immigration status. The law also bars law enforcement from draining for arresting individuals solely to determine their immigration status based non administrative immigration warrants. Additionally it requires state operated schools, health facilities, and courthouses to implement policies that protect access to services for individuals regardless of immigration status.
New Jersey immigrants comprise 23.4% of the state’s residents, or 2.17 million people. Immigrants make up nearly 29% of the state’s labor force. The state is also home to 458,800 undocumented immigrants, whoo make up 21% of the immigrant population and 29.% of the total state population. New Jersey has implemented several state legislative measures to protect immigrant communities and limit cooperation with federal immigrant enforcement. PL 2021, c. 199 (passed in August 2021) prohibits the detention of individuals for immigration purposes in state-run detention centers and correctional facilities and prevents local governments from entries into immigration detention agreements with the federal government. The Immigrant Trust Directive, issued in 2018 and revised in 2019, directs local law enforcement agencies to refrain from enforcing federal immigration laws unless required by a judicial warrant or federal law.
Vermont has enacted several legal protections for immigrants, including Vermont’s Bill S. 79 (2017), which requires governor approval for the state to engage in certain civil immigration actions. The law also prevents the collection of immigration status information for federal registries, though it allows LEAs to engage with federal authorities in emergency status information for federal registries, though it allows LEAs to engage with federal authorities in emergency situations. Litigation by nonprofits like Migrant Justice of Vermont have succeeded in acquiring stat guarantees against unnecessary information sharing with ICE.
The state’s immigration population (1.1+ million in 2018) makes up 10% of its total population, with undocumented immigrants comprising 2.9% of the population and 4.4% of the labor force, with majority of workers taking roles in agriculture, construction, and manufacturing. Oregon has enacted several laws aimed at protecting immigrants commenting and limiting local law enforcement’s involvement in federal immigration enforcement. Key legislation includes ORS 181.820 (1987) which prohibits local law enforcement from enforcing federal immigration laws based based on race of ethnicity unless criminal activity is suspected, and HB 3265 (2021) known as the sanctuary promise act that strengthens protections for non citizens by prohibiting local law enforcement from participating in immigration enforcements without a judicial warrant, requiring documentation of immigration enforcement activities, and banning the collection or sharing oof immigration status information without a subpoena.
Illinois is home to a significant immigrant population, com of 15% of the state’s total population, with 1.88 million immigrants, including 425,000 undocumented individuals. Immigrants make up 18% of the state’s labor force. A substantial portion of the undocumented population is employed, particularly in manufacturing and construction. Illinois has implemented several legislative measures to protect immigrants workers and limit state and local involvement in federal immigration enforcement. Notably, the Illinois Migrant Labor Camp Law (210 ILCS 110), enacted in 1967 and amended in 2014, regulates migrant labor camps. The Illinois TRUST Act (5 ILCS 805), passed in 2017, prohibits state and local law enforcement from enforcing federal immigration laws or cooperating with immigration authorities, restricting the use of civil immigration warrants and detainers. It also mandates that law enforcement report any requests from federal from federal immigration agencies. The Whistleblower Act (HB 5561), enacted in 2024, protects immigrant workers from employer retaliation, including threats of contracting immigration authorities.
Connecticut is home to approximately 591,000 immigrants, representing 15.7% of the state’s population.Immigrants play a significant role in the state’s economy, with 47,440 immigrant business owners accounting for 24% of all self-employed residents. Connecticut has enacted Conn. Gen. Stat. 54-192h which restricts state and local law enforcement agencies (LEAs) from assisting with federal immigration enforcement. The law prohibits LEAs from arresting or detaining individuals based on civil immigration detainers or administrative warrants unless accompanied by a judicial warrant, or unless the individual has been convicted of specific offenses. The law also prevents LEAs from sharing information about noncitizens’ custody status or grants ICE access to detainees, unless the individual has been convicted of certain crimes or is a potential match in the Terrorist Screening database.
Colorado is home to approximately 563,000 immigrants, making up 9.6% of the state’s population, with nearly 156,000 being undocumented. Immigrants in Colorado play a key role in the workforce. HB 19-1124 (2-19) prohibits state and local officials from enforcing federal immigration programs, ensures the law enforcement cannot detail individuals based solely on civil immigration detainers, and requires individuals be informed of their rights before being interview my federal immigration authorities. SB-20-083 prevents civil arrests of immigrants at courthouses, while SB 21-131(2021) restricts the sharing of personal identifying information for federal immigration enforcement, and limits state agencies from inquiring about immigration states unless specifically required. Other laws, like HB 21-1057 (2021_, criminalize the act of threatening to report someone’s immigration status to law enforcement to obtain something illegal or coerce someone against their will to engage in/refrain from performing an otherwise legal act, and HB 23-1100 (2023) prohibits the establishment of immigration detention facilities in the state.
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