Latest news with #ErnieYarbrough
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alabama House passes bill allowing local law enforcement to enforce immigration laws
Rep. Ernie Yarbrough, R-Trinity, speaks to a colleague on the floor of the Alabama House of Representatives on April 8, 2025 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. The House passed Yarbrough's bill that would allow local law enforcement to enforce federal immigration laws. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) The Alabama House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday that would allow local law enforcement to enforce federal immigration laws. HB 7, sponsored by Rep. Ernie Yarbrough, R-Trinity, would give sheriff's deputies and police officers authority to arrest and detain individuals who are not authorized to be in the U.S. and to transfer them to the custody of federal law enforcement. 'This bill will be key to the process of securing the safety of our communities. It's got common sense protections in there and accountability and transparency,' Yarbrough said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The legislation allows local and state law enforcement agencies to enter into agreements to enforce the country's immigration laws with federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Currently, the Alabama Attorney General's Office is the only state entity with that power. Under the bill, sheriffs' deputies; police officers and state troopers may also arrest people based on their immigration status 'when authorized by federal law.' Law enforcement must also obtain documents to verify a person's immigration status, be that a passport or a permanent resident card. The chamber adopted a committee substitute 77-20 that removed some of the requirements. Previously, the Attorney General's Office was required to publicly name any agency failing to comply with provisions in the legislation and notify the governor's office, but the amendment gives it the option. Alabama has low rates of immigration. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, only 4% of Alabama's population was foreign-born in 2023, compared to 14.3% nationwide. Only 6% of the population speaks a language other than English at home, compared to 22.5% of the U.S. population. House Democrats criticized the legislation, saying it trafficked in stereotypes about immigrants without status and that it could discourage cooperation with law enforcement in criminal investigations. Rep. Phillip Ensler, D-Montgomery, said he was worried about his foreign-born constituents and how the legislation will impact their trust in law enforcement. 'Bringing local law enforcement into the equation is going to create a lot of fear among people that are not doing anything wrong, that aren't committing crimes,' Ensler said. 'They're already on edge, and a lot of people are just trying to work hard. They're trying to better themselves, provide for their families, and I'm just concerned about how this will impact them.' The bill states that people cannot be detained solely because of their immigration status unless authorized by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and that sheriffs' deputies and police departments will verify that a person has an arrest warrant within 24 hours of the person getting detained. Rep. Neil Rafferty, D-Birmingham, said it would lead to racial profiling and echoed Ensler saying it will increase local distrust in law enforcement. 'When local police are perceived as immigration agents, victims and witnesses of crimes within immigrant communities become reluctant to come forward,' Rafferty said. 'That doesn't make communities safer. It actually makes it far more dangerous.' Rep. Mary Moore, D-Birmingham, said there are more American citizens that commit crimes than people without legal status. Studies have repeatedly proven that. 'I think that it's so unfair for us to just focus on one group of people and then with the immigrants that we are attacking,' she said. Yarbrough said the bill was inspired by Laken Riley, a Georgia college student that was killed by a person without legal status in 2024. He said she would not have been killed if legislation like his existed when a colleague asked him. Rafferty said Riley's death could have been prevented with better communication between law enforcement about the man accused of killing her. 'The failure wasn't in our laws, but in the implementation and coordination between agencies, if it doesn't address the actual systemic failures and communication between local and federal authorities that actually contributed to this tragedy,' he said. The House passed the bill 74-26. It now moves to the Senate. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Alabama lawmakers filed a bill allowing unvaccinated people to be on the organ donation list
ALABAMA (WDHN) – Alabama lawmakers at the house have filed a bill that will prevent health care providers from interfering on the donation of an organ over a person's vaccine status. Alabama state Representative, Ernie Yarbrough of Trinity, filed this bill to help people who decide not to get vaccinated the opportunity to be on the organ donation list in Alabama. The bill is also called The Adaline Deal Act, in honor of the 12-year-old girl from Indiana, who is distantly related to Vice President JD Vance. Deal's parents said she has been restricted a spot on the heart transplant list because she has not been vaccinated against COVID-19 and the flu. Her mother, Jeneen said she believes the vaccinations are unsafe. The couple adopted Adaline from China when she was 4 years old, and she was born with two hear conditions. The family start a GoFundMe for her condition, and they said they're using the money to take her to a different transplant center that won't require her to be vaccinated. According to the American Journal of Transplantation, Transplant centers set their own vaccine requirements. Under this newly filed bill, Alabama's Attorney General would be authorized to push a $50,000 fine against any person that denied an organ donation due someone not being vaccinated. The bill is currently awaiting action at the House Committee on Health. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Alabama lawmakers file a new bill prohibiting discrimination against those refusing vaccines
ALABAMA (WDHN) – One state lawmaker filed a new bill prohibiting discrimination about someone's vaccination status, or decision on wearing a mask or not. State lawmaker, Ernie Yarbrough of Trinity, filed this bill, which enforces the state to stop discrimination against individuals for their religious views or values against vaccines, drugs or mask wearing. This rule would apply to public accommodations, health insurers or hospitals. Also, the bill prevents licensing boards from denying someone their license because of their vaccination status. During the COVID-19 pandemic, private businesses denied service to people who refused to wear a mask or who were not properly vaccinated. However, if any person feels they were discriminated against, they can fight for injunctive relief or damages. The bill is now facing the House Health Committee. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alabama immigration enforcement bill gets approval from 2nd House committee
Rep. Ernie Yarbrough, R-Trinity, greets a colleague on the floor of the Alabama House of Representatives on Feb. 6, 2024 in Montgomery, Alabama. The House Judiciary Committee Wednesday approved a bill sponsored by Yarbrough to allow local law enforcement to enforce the country's immigration laws. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) An Alabama House committee Wednesday approved an immigration bill that had already received another committee's approval earlier in the session. The House Judiciary Committee approved HB 7, sponsored by Rep. Ernie Yarbrough, R-Trinity, which would give local law enforcement the authority to enforce the country's immigration laws. 'There are no new laws added,' Yarbrough said to committee members during the meeting. 'It simply allows that partnership to take place just to address safety in our communities.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Judiciary approved the bill about six weeks after the House Public Safety and Homeland Security did so in February. It is unusual for a bill to go through two committees before going to the floor of the House for a vote. The last major legislation to get routed through two House committees was the bill legalizing medical cannabis in Alabama in 2021. The current bill, largely unchanged from last year, allows local law enforcement, such as sheriff's offices and police departments, to enter into agreements with federal agencies to arrest and detain people who are not legally authorized to reside in the country. Once in custody, deputies and police officers must then attempt to determine a person's immigration status and get the help of an interpreter to determine someone's nationality. If a person cannot provide documentation proving they are eligible to live in the country, local law enforcement may then reach out to a Law Enforcement Support Center (LESC) to get information about a person's immigration status. The bill states that people cannot be detained solely because of their immigration status unless authorized by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and that sheriffs' deputies and police departments will verify that a person has an arrest warrant within 24 hours of the person getting detained. Law enforcement must also obtain documents to verify a person's immigration status, bet that a passport or a permanent resident card. House Judiciary Committee members approved an amendment making a few of the requirements optional. A previous version required the Alabama Attorney General's Office to publicly name any agency failing to comply with provisions in the legislation and notify the governor's office. The updated language gives the AG's Office an option to inform the Governor's Office. Another amendment also allows, but doesn't require, local law enforcement to report the total number of people arrested and the number of foreign nationals they take into custody as well as the inquiries they make to the LESC. Immigration advocates who spoke at a public hearing on the legislation in March said the legislation is creating fear among immigrant communities. That, they said, would lead to mistrust toward law enforcement and increased school truancy for children of immigrants who are afraid to attend school for fear of their parents being deported. Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee criticized the legislation. 'What country do we border in Alabama?' asked Rep. Penni McClammy, D-Montgomery during the committee meeting Wednesday. Yarbrough said that every state is connected, and that people travel. 'Each state doesn't have a physical wall, so people travel from state to state,' Yarbrough said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Immigration advocates speak against Alabama enforcement bill
Rep. Ernie Yarbrough, R-Trinity, greets a colleague on the floor of the Alabama House of Representatives on Feb. 6, 2024 in Montgomery, Alabama. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) An Alabama House committee held a public hearing on Wednesday for an immigration bill that had already been approved by another committee weeks before. HB 7, sponsored by Rep. Ernie Yarbrough, R-Trinity, allows local law enforcement agencies to enter into agreements with the federal government to enforce federal immigration laws. 'We have worked extensively with law enforcement, ALEA (Alabama Law Enforcement Agency), the Speaker's Office, and the DA's Office,' Yarbrough told the House Judiciary Committee said to the committee prior to the start of the public hearing. 'This bill will allow state and local law enforcement to enter into an MOU with the federal government to enforce already-existing immigration laws. There are no new laws created.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The bill drew strong criticism from immigrant rights groups, saying it was aimed at creating fear among the state's foreign-born communities. 'It destroys community trust in enforcement agencies at the state and local level,' said Andrea Hayes in an interview following the public hearing, a projects and grant manager with the Tuscaloosa Latino Coalition, an organization that provides support to Hispanic communities. 'It rips away trust from immigrant communities if they are going to be afraid that they are going to be deported.' Hayes said the anticipated passage of the bill has led to truancy among children afraid to attend school because of fear that members of their family will be sent away. Other speakers urged lawmakers on the committee to connect with individuals that this bill would affect to get a better understanding of their lives. 'I think they are portraying us as criminals who are only here to do wrongdoings in this country, which is extremely far from the truth,' said Jasmin Hernandez-Alamillo about lawmakers in an interview following the public hearing, a Birmingham resident and daughter of Mexican immigrants. Hernandez-Alamillo said she works with immigrant communities and interacts with members of those communities regularly. 'They probably work harder than we will ever have to in our lives, if I am being completely honest,' she said. 'My mom, she cleans houses. My dad is a construction worker. I see how much they are beating their bodies up working in these fields. I know how my extended family works. I know how my community works. I know how hard they work to give back to our community, and it is just not fair to see them discount that and discredit their efforts to provide for themselves and their families.' Judiciary is the second committee to consider the legislation after the House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee approved the measure along party lines about a month ago. This is the first time that this specific immigration legislation had to secure approval from two separate House committees after leaders re-referred the bill to a different committee before allowing it to move onto the House floor for consideration. It was not clear why the bill went through two committees. A bill authorizing medical cannabis in Alabama went through two committees in 2021 before being voted on in the chamber. Yarbrough filed the same bill during the 2024 session, which was approved by the House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee before moving on the House floor where it stalled. Under the bill, sheriff's deputies, police officers and state troopers may arrest people based on their immigration status and detain them until they can determine their nationality. Law enforcement can then reach out to the federal government to verify the person's immigration status. The Alabama Attorney General's Office may report which local law enforcement agencies do not comply with the provisions in the bill by publishing a news release to provide details of the violation. Local law enforcement must also report to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency each year the number of foreign nationals they arrested and track the inquiries they submit to the federal government to confirm a person's immigration status Civil rights groups have continuously expressed alarm with the legislation, saying the bill gives law enforcement license to profile citizens and will disproportionately affect minority communities. Democrats on the House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee had the same concerns several weeks ago. The Judiciary Committee did not vote on the legislation on Wednesday. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
