North STAR Act (HF 3459 | SF 3516)

North STAR protects immigrants in the state of Minnesota by prohibiting state and local law enforcement from using state resources for the purpose of civil immigration enforcement. This includes sharing data or accepting federal funds that would require such cooperation. Multiple states, including Illinois, Oregon, Vermont, New Jersey, Colorado, Washington and California have passed similar laws, allowing non-citizen residents to remain and continue to contribute to local and state economies without fear of unnecessary harassment from law enforcement or prolonged periods of detention.

It’s time for the Minnesota state legislature to protect immigrants, instead of opening the door to federal agencies who disappear our immigrant neighbors, separate them from their families and support systems, and instill fear into our communities.

Our state is home to over 500,000 non-citizen residents from all over the globe. They are neighbors, friends, family, and coworkers. They work, pay taxes, and contribute billions of dollars to state revenue every year. Yet many immigrants are subject to arbitrary and prolonged detention, exorbitant bonds, or deportation because of trivial, non-criminalized encounters with local law enforcement. Blurring the lines between local law enforcement and immigration enforcement erodes trust between immigrants and police, uproots loved community and family members from their chosen homes, and enables racial profiling. It also contributes to the creation of surveillance tools that intrude on immigrants and everyone living in our communities. This is not real safety, and doing better by immigrants in Minnesota benefits us all.

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