Bill > H5316

This bill aims to promote the rule of law and equal constitutional treatment by establishing new regulations and protections related to immigration enforcement and the rights of individuals within the Commonwealth. Key provisions include limiting civil immigration enforcement activities in nonpublic areas of state entities, requiring the Governor to issue multilingual guidelines for state agencies, private entities, and school districts on handling interactions with law enforcement during civil immigration enforcement, and mandating that correctional facilities provide detained individuals with written notices of their rights, including the right to legal counsel and to decline interviews, along with ensuring confidential attorney-client communications and providing interpreter services for various interactions. Furthermore, the bill restricts local law enforcement from engaging in civil immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant or court order, prohibits the use of state or local resources for federal civil immigration enforcement actions unless legally required, and limits the ability of law enforcement agencies to enter into agreements that deputize them for civil immigration enforcement, with specific exceptions for criminal public safety purposes. It also requires employers to notify employees within 48 hours of receiving an inspection notice from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement regarding employment eligibility verification, and establishes new procedures for civil arrests within courthouses, requiring judicial authorization and limiting such arrests in courtrooms. Finally, the bill creates a framework for certifying victims of qualifying criminal activity and human trafficking to petition for certain nonimmigrant visas, ensuring that certifying entities do not require criminal charges or convictions and do not consider an applicant's immigration admissibility beyond federal requirements, while also prohibiting retaliation against individuals seeking certification or reporting crimes.

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H5316