CONCORD — Civil libertarians and immigrant advocates outnumbered supporters during a public hearing Thursday over legislation to block a city or town from becoming a sanctuary for illegal immigrants.
Senate President Jeb Bradley, R-Wolfeboro, and his Republican colleagues, however, have made this legislation a priority for the 2024 session.
Immigration emerged as the No. 1 issue for voters during the New Hampshire presidential primary.
The American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire released figures this week that showed the federal border patrol had only 21 arrests and encounters with suspected illegal immigrants over the past 15 months at New Hampshire’s border with Canada.
Gov. Chris Sununu and GOP supporters point to a 600% increase in the number of incidents since 2021 at the Swanton Sector that includes all of northern New England and western New York that borders with Canada.
This bill (SB 563) would require communities to make a “best effort” to cooperate with federal immigration authorities that seek to detain for up to 48 hours someone suspected of being in the country illegally.
ACLU-NH Legal Director Gilles Bissonnette said the measure would put local police in the “awful position” of being pressured to detain someone who may not be an illegal immigrant and that could subject the city or town to a lawsuit.
Sen. Bill Gannon, R-Sandown, said the towns of Hanover and Lebanon have ordinances that prevent police from working with federal officials.
“We need this bill to protect our state from sanctuary cities, which are hubs for drug smuggling and human trafficking,” said Gannon, the bill’s prime author.
Recess called over witness treatment
A heated interruption marked the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing when Senate Majority Leader and committee chairman Sharon Carson, R-Londonderry, stormed out and called a 10-minute recess.
Her move came after Senate Assistant Democratic Leader Becky Whitley had pressed a spokesperson for the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) who was testifying for the anti-sanctuary city bill.
Whitley cited the liberal Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) that has branded FAIR as an “extremist group” with a founder who was an “avowed white Supremacist.”
After the break, Shari Rendall, the person representing FAIR, claimed the SPLC’s report had been “discredited.”
The organization speaks out on issues but does not support discrimination against anyone, she said.
“This is about a difference over policy,” Rendall said.
Carson apologized for the disruption.
“I strongly believe in allowing any citizen of the state of New Hampshire to be able to testify,” Carson said to Rendall. “What happened in my opinion was unfortunate and I want to thank you for being here.”
Whitley later issued a statement critical of the legislation.
“Senate Democrats are saddened and disappointed by several pieces of legislation filed by our Republican colleagues based on a non-existent northern border crisis,” Whitley said.
“These pieces of legislation will not make our state safer and will only serve to divide us.”
In 2023, the Senate approved, 14-10, a bill (SB 132) on this topic along partisan lines with only Senate GOP support.
Last spring, the House voted, 203-168, to table the bill and it died without further action.
Eva Castillo said this bill would harm a cooperative relationship that immigrant organizations have fostered with local police in her hometown of Manchester and other cities.
“The truth is this is not going to do anything for safety,” Castillo said.
