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Comerford highlights immigrant legal-defense fund and Safe Communities measures
Summary
Sen. Comerford said the legislature and administration funded a $5 million immigrant legal-defense effort and described pending bills (Safe Communities Act, Dignity Not Deportations) aimed at limiting local-federal collaboration on immigration enforcement.
At the town hall Sen. Joe Comerford outlined recent and proposed state actions to protect immigrant communities, including state-funded legal defense and bills limiting local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
Comerford said the budget includes funding for an immigrant legal defense effort and described the program as a $5,000,000 allocation to support legal representation through groups such as CPCS and Community Legal Aid. "This was back in the budget that's, currently going, and that was for $5,000,000," he said.
He also summarized three major legislative efforts in the space: the Safe Communities Act, a 'Dignity Not Deportations' bill, and the legal defense fund measure. Comerford described policy provisions under discussion such as prohibiting local agreements that mirror 287(g)-style arrangements and blocking immigration-status questioning on civil arrests.
Comerford encouraged constituents to monitor committee postings and to submit testimony when bills leave committee, noting the clerk backlog from the end-of-year processing but urging continued advocacy as bills are reconsidered in the new year.
