Free Republic

The Maryland General Assembly convened on December 6 for a special session. The main focus of the special session is the redistricting process that states must complete every decade after the census. However, in addition to redistricting, the legislature voted to override Governor Larry Hogan’s (R) veto of a bill that bans immigration detention and makes Maryland a sanctuary state, as well as one that restricts sharing information with immigration authorities. House Bill (HB) 16, the so-called “Dignity Not Detention Act,” sponsored by Delegate Vaughn Stewart (D-Montgomery County) was initially solely a ban on immigration detention contracts. However, on the...

Discord over the TRUST Act, which limits when local authorities can detain unauthorized immigrants for federal agencies, is entering a new phase with the start of 2014. Supporters of the state measure are launching community-outreach campaigns, while opponents are redoubling their assertions that it rewards lawbreakers and usurps federal powers. The TRUST (Transparency and Responsibility Using State Tools) Act, which took effect Wednesday, is one of two such laws in the United States. The other, in Connecticut, went into effect on the same day, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. California’s measure narrows the scope of Secure Communities,...

Gov. Jerry Brown this morning signed into law the TRUST Act, which will prevent police from handing over many nonviolent jail inmates to immigration authorities for possible deportation. The governor also signed seven other immigration-related bills into law, including one that allows undocumented immigrants to practice law in California. “While Washington waffles on immigration, California’s forging ahead,” Brown said in a statement. “I’m not waiting.” The signings came as immigrant-rights supporters in the Inland area and across the country are rallying to push the House to pass a comprehensive immigration-reform bill with a path to citizenship. A San Bernardino march...

SAN JOSE -- A month before authorities say he killed his wife, 40-year-old Mario Chavez was in jail after a heated domestic argument that ended with him threatening their 6-year-old son with a knife. His family got a protective order. He made bail. When a judge later raised the amount, so did Chavez. In the weeks since the Sept. 7 slaying that left three San Jose children virtually orphaned, some of the sadness gave way to a pointed question: Should Chavez -- who was in the country illegally -- have been able to post bail in the first place? Immigration...