S.1470: A bill to strengthen border security, increase resources for enforcement of immigration laws, and for other purposes.
Overview
S. 1470 would provide a new monetary incentive for state law enforcement to incarcerate any immigrant “with an unknown [immigration] status.” The current law only provides monetary compensation for the incarceration of “undocumented criminal [immigrants].” Unlike an undocumented criminal immigrant, which requires that the individual has certain levels of pending criminal charges, an immigrant with “unknown status” is simply any individual “who has been incarcerated” and “whose immigration status cannot be definitively identified.”
The previously appropriated amount of $950,000,000, which ended in 2011, would be resumed for fiscal years 2020 through 2024.
Talking Points
- The National Assembly opposes this bill because it would incentivize state law enforcement to incarcerate immigrant individuals who have committed no other crime other than being potentially undocumented.
- Increasing reliance on detention and deportation practices undermine the foundation of well-being in communities across the country.
- Immigrants who are already in our country will make our society more diverse, enriching social, cultural, and civic life as well as boosting the economy.