Michigan House Freedom caucus demands action on illegal immigration
By Carly Moran
The Center Square
A small group of Michigan lawmakers want to crack down on illegal immigration.
The Michigan House Freedom Caucus introduced a five-bill package and a resolution recently seeking to criminalize inaction on illegal immigration. State Reps. Neil Friske, R-Charlevoix; Steve Carra, R-Three Rivers; Matt Maddock, R-Milford and James DeSana, R-Ash Township announced the package.
“The federal government has left us no option but to act,” Friske said. “There are a historic number of migrants flooding across our international borders while the people in charge of our country would rather cater to radical protestors than enforce immigration law. If the federal government won’t close the border and begin mass deportations, the burden falls on us to do everything we can to protect our communities.”
The bill package would require all Michigan law enforcement officers to comply with all federal laws in place with the U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement. Any deviation from enforcing federal immigration policy would be punishable by law and asking immigration status for legal purposes would be allowed.
“We are currently incentivizing illegal immigration with taxpayer-funded programs and disincentivizing legal immigration with bureaucratic complications,” Carra said. “What we should be doing is embracing legal immigration by eliminating immigration caps and ending mass migration by eliminating the taxpayer-funded incentives to illegal immigration.”
While the package is unlikely to pass in a state with a Democratic-majority legislature in both chambers, it could represent the broader concerns of the country. According to a Gallup poll conducted in February, immigration is considered the most important policy issue to Americans (28%), followed by the government (20%) and the economy (12%). This is the first time immigration has topped the polls since 2019.
* * *
••• Publisher's note: A free press is critical to having well-informed voters and citizens. While some news organizations opt for paid websites or costly paywalls, The Highland County Press has maintained a free newspaper and website for the last 25 years for our community. If you would like to contribute to this service, it would be greatly appreciated. Donations may be made to: The Highland County Press, P.O. Box 849, Hillsboro, Ohio 45133. Please include "for website" on the memo line.