Republican States Advance Immigration Deportation Plans

As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to enact his immigration policies, Republican lawmakers in several states are proposing new legislation to facilitate mass deportations. These proposals include granting local law enforcement the authority to arrest individuals for illegal immigration and requiring police to notify federal authorities when detaining such individuals, even for unrelated charges. Missouri state Senator Curtis Trent noted that these measures would help 'hand-deliver' violators to deportation ports. Conversely, Democratic-led states like California and New York are mobilizing to counteract Trump's plans by boosting legal protections for immigrants and limiting local police cooperation with federal enforcement. Advocacy groups are actively working on sanctuary laws to protect immigrant communities amidst rising fears and anxieties about potential deportations. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security estimates there are about 11 million unauthorized immigrants in the country, highlighting the scale of the issue at hand.