ACLU of Idaho threatens lawsuit as Idaho House passes amended immigration enforcement bill
BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) - A regional advocacy group is once again threatening to sue the state of Idaho if a bill intended to crack down on illegal immigration is signed into law.
The amended House Bill 83 passed the Idaho House without debate in a 61-9 vote Wednesday, after passing the Senate Tuesday, March 11. The bill now moves to Governor Little's desk for further approval.
The ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) of Idaho has condemned the Idaho House of Representatives for passing the legislation.
The ACLU of Idaho issued the following statement regarding House Bill 83:
“We are disappointed that the Idaho legislature decided to pass this extremely harmful and unconstitutional piece of anti-immigrant legislation. The ACLU has sued to prevent bills similar to this one from going into effect in other states and successfully stopped them from being enforced in every instance.
“We urge the governor to veto this terrible legislation, both as a signal to Latino constituents that he does not support amplified racial profiling against brown people in Idaho, and as a promise to all Idahoans that he is fiscally responsible enough not to waste taxpayer dollars on a lawsuit Idaho will not win.”
House Bill 83 as amended
HB-83 would require law enforcement to focus on illegal immigrants who are detained, investigated, or suspected of criminal activity, through which officers would record the documentation status of individuals arrested throughout their normal police work.
The bill provides for two offenses: First, a misdemeanor charge for "illegal entry," and second, "illegal reentry," which would be a felony offense.
Under the amended bill, HB 83 would no longer require a court-ordered deportation and provides for the exchange of information, resources, and compliance with federal agencies such as Immigration, Customs, and Enforcement (ICE). Individuals arrested for a crime in Idaho would also be required to serve their state sentence before being released to ICE or the Department of Homeland Security.
Under an additional amendment, the legislation will be referred to as the "Immigration Cooperation and Enforcement Act." The Senate also defined several additional terms in the bill, including "dangerous illegal alien," "dangerous crime," "immigration detainer," and more.
For more information on the background of HB 83, click HERE.
