Alabama lawmakers advance local ‘Laken Riley’ bill that deputizes police to enforce immigration law
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers advanced legislation on Thursday that would allow local law enforcement to enforce immigration law, as conservative legislators push for increased alignment with the federal government’s crackdown on immigration.
The bill was dubbed “Laken Riley Act,” named after the 22-year-old Augusta University student who was killed last year in Georgia by an undocumented immigrant. President Donald Trump signed a similar law into affect in January that requires the detention of unauthorized immigrants accused of theft and violent crimes.
If signed into law, the Alabama version of the bill will allow local and state law enforcement agencies to enter into agreements with federal agencies to enforce the country’s immigration laws.
“It’s simply a common-sense grassroots approach to help enforce already existing laws that are on the books in our community,” said the bill’s sponsor, Republican Rep. Ernie Yarbrough.
The bill drew swift rebuke from the House of Representative’s Democratic minority.
Rep. Chris England said the bill would make profiling inevitable because he said officers are more likely to detain nonwhite people who don’t speak English. He added that the stakes are higher given the increasing frequency of detentions without a trial across the country.
“The constitution can’t be situational, it can’t be circumstantial, it cannot only be when it benefits me. You have to abide by the principles in it, even when you don’t want to,” he said.
Yarbrough denied that the bill would encourage racial profiling, and he pointed to amendments to the bill that would require officers to check immigration status instead of nationality when someone is arrested.
“The bottom line is that this bill isn’t aimed at vilifying immigrants – it’s about the safety of Alabamians,” Yarbrough said.
Still, some Democratic legislators pushed back. They said that it would make communities less safe because it would discourage immigrants from reporting crimes in the community.
Rep. Neil Rafferty said that the bill exploits Laken Riley’s name and wouldn’t have prevented her death. “Turning local officers into de facto immigration agents damages their ability to stop crimes,” Rafferty said.
Settlement reached in investors’ lawsuit against Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other company leaders
A settlement has been reached in a class action investors' lawsuit against Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and company leaders over claims stemming from the privacy scandal involving Cambridge Analytica.
Senate panel to vote on federal judge nomination for Emil Bove, who defended Trump
The vote comes as scores of former DOJ lawyers and retired state and federal court judges say they fear his intense loyalty to the president would carry over onto the bench.
A ‘Crypto Week’ win: Congress passes 1st major crypto legislation in the U.S.
It was a remarkable win for the crypto industry — and for President Trump, who campaigned on making the country "the crypto capital of the planet."
How did Condé Nast go from dominance to decline? A new book explains
For decades, Condé Nast publications such as Vogue and Vanity Fair were consequential tastemakers. Writer Michael Grynbaum explores the heyday of these magazines and how they lost their footing.
1960s pop star Connie Francis has died. The singer’s life was touched by tragedies
1960s pop star Connie Francis has died. The first female singer to chart a number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100, she sold over 40 million records before the age of 25.
Marc Maron on why it’s time for his ‘WTF’ podcast to end
Marc Maron is proud of his run as host of his podcast, WTF. And because of that, he's bringing it to a close. He wants to avoid it becoming just another show "feeding the garbage bin of content."