State legislatures have passed 133 new immigration-related measures this year. Several laws cracked down on sanctuary cities or ensured that in-state tuition discounts were only available for citizens or legal immigrants.
State legislatures across the country have enacted a wave of immigration-related measures in the seven months since President Trump took office.
With Washington paralyzed on broader immigration reforms, lawmakers have taken matters into their own hands, implementing new measures either encouraging support for immigrants or cracking down on those who enter the country illegally.
“You’re seeing legislation that comes up because the feds haven’t fixed the issue, so states are trying to find ways around that,” said Mo Denis, a Democratic state senator from Nevada.
Lawmakers in 42 states and the District of Columbia passed a total of 133 new measures this year governing some part of their state’s relationship with immigrants, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures’ Immigrant Policy Project.