Committee hears hours of testimony on HF 16, bill would require reporting of certain arrests to ICE

The Minnesota House Public Safety Committee heard extensive testimony on House File 16, a measure by Representative Reimer that would require state and local entities to report people suspected of being in the United States unlawfully who are arrested on suspicion of violent crimes listed in Minn. Stat. 624.172, subd. 5, and would prohibit state and local policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

Representative Reimer told the committee the bill “accomplishes two main things.” He said the first is a mandate that “any illegal immigrant arrested on suspicion of a violent crime as defined by Minnesota state statute 624.172 subdivision 5, even in cases where the county attorney elects not to prosecute, be reported to ICE.” He described the second aim as preventing state and local entities from “actively prohibiting, restricting, or interfering with federal immigration authorities in carrying out the federal immigration enforcement.”

The bill drew sharply divided testimony. Supporters, including David Zimmer of the Center of the American Experiment, urged passage as consistent with federal law and as a means to improve interagency cooperation. Zimmer said cooperation “serves as the foundation for law enforcement,” noting…