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House backs bill letting local law enforcement cooperate with ICE, adopts anti‑sanctuary amendment
Summary
After a lengthy floor debate, the House passed legislation authorizing local law enforcement to participate in federal immigration programs and added an amendment that bars sanctuary policies and allows local cooperation agreements; the bill drew heated argument over costs, local control and officer safety.
The New Hampshire House on May 1 approved a bill that authorizes local law enforcement participation in federal immigration programs and adopted a floor amendment that bars sanctuary policies and allows law enforcement executives to enter cooperation agreements with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Supporters said the measure restores cooperation options and public-safety benefits; opponents said it strips local control, shifts costs and liability to counties and communities, and risks civil-rights violations. The House adopted the anti‑sanctuary amendment by roll call and later passed the amended bill on a roll-call vote of 200-162.
Representative Sherriff, who offered a proposed amendment that would have required officers to identify themselves when acting under ICE authority, explained that the change was intended to ensure transparency: "We don't want our deputy sheriffs, our local people, to be masked and hidden. So the amend the amendment simply asked that when a New Hampshire law enforcement official is acting under the authority of ICE, that they... identify themselves, they give their badge number, and the department under which they're working." That amendment failed on a roll-call vote, 161-199.
Opponents warned of costs and loss of local oversight. Representative Muse said the amendment and the bill "offend every single one of us" because they upend local control and shift financial and legal burdens to counties and municipalities. Muse noted that ICE-provided training is free but that operating costs and potential litigation would fall to local taxpayers; she said the amendment could permit fines up to 25% of state funds to compel compliance.
Representative Terry Roy urged support, arguing the public should be able to decide whether to allow local cooperation. During floor action, the House adopted amendment 1957H — which includes anti‑sanctuary language and clarifies cooperation agreements — by roll call, 202-160. The final vote on the bill as amended was 200 in the affirmative and 162 in the negative.
The House debate included several procedural roll-call requests and floor amendments. Supporters characterized the bill as providing tools to address immigration enforcement gaps; opponents framed it as an imposition on municipal budgetary control and local accountability. The bill as passed allows local law enforcement agencies to enter cooperation agreements with federal immigration authorities, subject to the statutory terms adopted by the legislature.
The House referred the bill as passed to the next steps required under legislative procedure; implementation details, including cost and oversight arrangements, were discussed but will depend on local decisions and any administrative rules that follow.
