The Minnesota legislature is debating a bill that would require local authorities to report violent criminal illegal migrants to federal officials and preempt local rules to prevent cooperation with ICE and deportation efforts.
The bill (HF16) was heard last week in the state legislature’s House Public Safety, Finance, and Policy Committee where supporters noted that the bill is “narrowly focused” to affect only migrants who are arrested for violent criminal offenses, not migrants who are merely here illegally, but are otherwise law-abiding.
HF16 would make it mandatory to report to federal immigration authorities any illegal immigrant in the local or state law enforcement system who is suspected of murder, assault, domestic assault, crimes committed for the benefit of a gang, robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, and criminal sexual conduct.
The bill would also preempt any local ordinance or rule that would prevent police and courts from reporting criminal illegals to ICE.
“I think what this bill will ultimately accomplish is creating a pathway between local authorities to report violent offenders who happen to be illegal immigrants to federal authorities,” said bill sponsor Republican Rep. Max Rymer.
Thus far, the bill has been approved by the committee and was sent on to the House Elections Finance and Government Operations Committee, the House reports on its official legislative website.
Victim Charles Thayer testified for passage of the bill at the hearing on March 12 as he recounted his mother’s murder at the hands of an illegal migrant who already had a felony conviction on his record. Thayer said that the man who killed his mother already had a conviction for domestic violence from when he tried to stab a former girlfriend.
“The only question I really have left is how anybody on any side of any aisle would ever have a problem with reporting dangerous criminals to ICE so they can be considered for deportation immediately,” Thayer said in support of the bill.
A letter signed by 35 Minnesota citizens who were victims of crimes at the hands of violent criminal illegals was also presented during the debate.
Democrats in the state have steadfastly opposed any such reforms, and the bill was passed out of committee along party lines.
Early this year, several Democrat congresspersons courted controversy by posting videos in multiple languages to help inform migrants on how they could evade ICE and avoid being grabbed by federal immigration officers.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Facebook at: facebook.com/Warner.Todd.Huston, X at WTHuston, or Truth Social at @WarnerToddHuston.
