As state legislatures open this year, immigration has surged to the top of the agenda, with dozens of bills nationwide on enforcement, civil rights, and federal authority. Oregon Capital Chronicle provides some examples.
Democratic-led states are proposing limits on where and how federal agents operate, along with stronger oversight and protections for immigrant communities. Examples:
- New Mexico legislators advanced a bill to prohibit state-run entities from signing contracts with the federal government for immigration detention centers. The bill would also terminate existing contracts. Rural county jails in New Mexico now hold hundreds of immigration detainees, including many from Minnesota. The Republican argument against the bill is that these communities can use the cash.
- Maryland is considering a bill that bars any “agent of the state” (including sheriffs and local police) from agreements to enforce civil immigration law. As with the New Mexico bill, this bill would terminate existing contracts. A separate bill in Maryland proposes that ICE agents recruited for Trump’s term be barred from state law enforcement positions.
- California enacted a law against masked officers, and around 15 states have proposed such bills, but this reform is on hold while the Trump administration sues against it.
Georgia and Pennsylvania have Democratic bills in the works to ban masks for ICE agents and to require them to show badges–bare basics for others in law enforcement–along with limiting National Guard deployments, allowing lawsuits for abuses, and other reforms. But these states’ Republican majorities are unlikely to advance these.
Republican-led states are pushing tougher measures, including mandatory cooperation with ICE, stricter ID rules, and new penalties tied to immigration status. Examples:
- West Virginia lawmakers want to add state-level penalties for people who reside illegally in the U.S.
- Florida passed a bill in the House to require businesses to use federal software to screen new hires for legal residence. Florida also has bills proposed to similarly screen college students.
- Tennessee Republicans want to require U.S. legal residence screening for grocery and housing benefits, professional licensing, and school enrollment. They also want to force cooperation with ICE by state courts and law enforcement. Contrary to the U.S. Constitution, they want to limit candidates for federal office to natural-born citizens only.
The flurry reflects rising tensions amid the Trump administration’s intensified enforcement and deadly protest encounters involving federal agents. While many bills face long odds, states are testing the limits of their power in a debate that’s accelerating.
The above summarizes the Jan. 31, 2026 Oregon Capital Chronicle article, “State lawmakers stand ready to help ICE — or impede it” by Amanda Watford.