Mississippi Law Targets Undocumented Immigrants

A new law in Mississippi will empower the state’s top law enforcement agency to compile a list of immigrants living illegally in the state. The law will take effect on Wednesday, prompting concern among immigrant advocates. They worry it might be used to target immigrants, aligning with former President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.

The law mandates the Department of Public Safety to employ all reasonable legal methods to identify undocumented immigrants in Mississippi. This includes collecting personal details such as names, addresses, origins, age status, criminal histories, and details of any deportation proceedings. The department must share data on suspected law violators with state and local authorities.

While the law neither mandates nor prohibits sharing this database with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), its broader implications remain open-ended.

Republican state Senator Angela Hill, who sponsored this measure, believes states have an obligation to collaborate with the federal government to combat illegal immigration. According to Hill, illegal immigration contributes to criminal activities such as human and drug trafficking.

Hill stated, “In order to address the problems caused by illegal immigration, we need to understand the magnitude of the problem. Identifying the number and identity of illegal aliens in Mississippi is a concrete way to better understand the problem.”

Across the U.S., states have enacted more than 100 immigration-related laws this year, as reported by the Associated Press. In Republican-led states, laws often align with Trump’s agenda by requiring local sheriffs to partner with ICE and enforcing public benefit eligibility restrictions. They also direct election clerks to scrutinize voter rolls using the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements system to identify noncitizens.

On the contrary, Democratic-led states have resisted by banning cooperative agreements with ICE and limiting immigration enforcement actions in sensitive locations without judicial warrants.

A similar action to Mississippi’s law was a 2021 executive order by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. It tasked the Florida Department of Law Enforcement with determining the number and identities of immigrants who were transported from the southwest border to Florida. However, Florida has yet to release outcomes from this measure.

Questions arise on the practical execution of Mississippi’s law, which aims at a continuous monitoring of undocumented immigrants for two years. Challenges include accurately capturing data as individuals overstay visas or change legal status.

Efrén Olivares of the National Immigration Law Center remarked, “It’s practically unworkable, but it’s also very worrisome because it’s eerily reminiscent of other countries that have created lists of certain groups of people.”

Jessica Vaughan from the Center for Immigration Studies believed that the law has merit, noting that it increases the possibility of notifying federal authorities about someone’s illegal status.

Critics argue that the law may damage trust between immigrants and police, potentially diverting law enforcement from public protection to targeting foreign nationals. Victoria Francis of the American Immigration Council stated, “A mandate like this invites profiling and turning entire communities into targets.”

Lydia Grizzell from the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi warned that the law could deter individuals from seeking police help, undermining law enforcement’s core mission.