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The Minnesota Senate on Monday narrowly passed a bill that would prevent federal agents from hiding their identities, otherwise, and create a way to sue for alleged constitutional violations stemming from immigration enforcement.
The bill narrowly passed on a caucus vote of 34-33. It now heads to the House, where it faces an uphill battle where the chamber is evenly split between Democrats and Republicans.
The law also orders schools, daycare centers and health care facilities to deny access to immigration agents on their premises without a signed legal permit, with no exceptions. It also prohibits certain detentions of people from other countries who come to court.
Additionally, it gives state officials the authority to investigate deaths involving the use of force by federal agents and creates fines or liability in certain cases when someone fails to render aid after a shooting.
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The Minnesota Senate passed a measure to ban federal agents from wearing masks. (John Moore/Getty Images)
Democratic Senator Omar Fateh, a co-sponsor of the bill, said the federal government’s crackdown on Minnesota represented a “war on immigrant communities,” according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.
“They said the agents are there to enforce law and order,” said Fateh. “They lied again.
This comes as several Democratic-led states seek to adopt restrictions on immigration agents, particularly after the shooting deaths of two US citizens in separate incidents in January during an immigration raid in Minneapolis sparked protests across the country.
Lawmakers in New York reached an agreement with Gov. Kathy Hochul on the last federal budget to limit state and local cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and put limits on undercover agents and warrantless searches of homes, schools and other places. This agreement will allow residents to sue immigration agents.
Mask bans were also passed by California lawmakers, but similar restrictions have faced federal court challenges, including rulings blocking parts of the California law.
The Minnesota bill narrowly passed on a caucus vote of 34-33. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Other Democratic-led states, including New Jersey and Massachusetts, have proposed similar plans to bar immigration agents from wearing masks during President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Minnesota Democratic Sen. Ron Latz, a co-sponsor of the bill passed Monday, said the measure aims to bring accountability and “make sure what happened here never happens again.”
“What we endured was one of the darkest periods in American history when the government … sent masked men — armed, untrained and unrestrained — to terrorize our communities,” Latz said, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Republicans, on the other hand, have accused Democrats of inflammatory rhetoric about immigration raids and said Minnesota officials should cooperate with ICE.
“We need more cooperation in this state between our federal, state and local officials,” GOP Sen. Michael Kreun said, according to the outlet. “More cooperation, not less cooperation. That will help reduce the need for road enforcement, which many people are uncomfortable with.”
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Other Democratic-led states, including New Jersey and Massachusetts, have proposed similar plans to bar immigration agents from wearing masks during President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. (CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP via Getty Images)
Republican Sen. Glenn Gruenhagen said the crackdown on immigrants has made cities across the country safer, even as local officials blame the Trump administration for the violence after immigration agents shot dozens of people in recent months.
Senate Republicans also said the package would cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in potential lawsuits as the state would be sued.
“This bill would put Minnesota at risk of colliding with dangerous immigrants who roam freely while authorities face legal challenges,” Senate Republican Leader Mark Johnson said in a statement.
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The law’s mask ban on federal agents presents exceptions, including medical requirements.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
