Jackson Free Press

This afternoon, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed Senate Bill 2179, which is similar to a controversial Arizona law that forces local and state law enforcement to ask for proof of legal residency from individuals they suspect are undocumented residents during traffic stops.

"We don't represent people who are here illegally," said Sen. Joey Fillingane, R-Sumrall, minutes before voting to pass the bill, along with a majority of the committee.

Members voting against the passage of the bill included Sen. Kelvin Butler, D-McComb, who said the bill would promote racial profiling, since law enforcement officers would likely base their inquiries upon a person's appearance.

The bill, as passed, states that "for any lawful stop, detention or arrest made by a law enforcement official or a law enforcement agency of this state ... where reasonable suspicion exists that the person is an alien and is unlawfully present in the United States, a reasonable attempt shall be made, when practicable, to determine the immigration status of the person."

The bill will now go to the Senate floor for a full Senate vote at a later date. If passed, it will go to a House committee for approval, and if approved it would require a full vote of the House before going to Gov. Haley Barbour for his signature.

Also see: "On the Anchor Baby Trail,"

See tomorrow's JFP Daily for more coverage on this issue.

Previous Commentsshow

I would imagine that in the next natural disaster, pending the passage of this bill, local and state law enforcement would stand at the borders of Mississippi and turn away everyone who didn't look like they were from Mississippi. Doctors,nurses,caretakers,first responders etc. Lets not forget all the folks who came to clean up the mess from Katrina. Mississippi residents will, according to Haley Barbour,"roll up their sleeves" and do it themselves. Profiling is a problem. If a man looks just a little too cute or a woman looks a little to much like she may whoop you behind, those folks must be gay. Law enforcement has already made serious errors/violations in civil rights when it comes down to them using their best judgement in the art of profiling.Just ask Pearl River County Sheriff's dept. They were retrained and still managed to repeat the same offences again. So used to making local laws on an as needed basis, they admitted it on the telephone (which had been recorded for quality and training purposes).

DeGuyz

Jan 16 2011