LANSING, Mich. — State Sen. Jonathan Lindsey has turned in legislation to make Michigan a leader in solving the country’s immigration crisis — though Democrat leadership in the Senate this week denied new bills from being formally introduced.
“My legislation would create the Developing Effective Policies on Orderly Removal and Transportation (DEPORT) Task Force,” said Lindsey, R-Coldwater. “The task force would work rapidly to develop policies promoting President Trump’s efforts to remove dangerous criminals from Michigan communities.”
Under Senate Bill 40, the DEPORT Task Force would be tasked with identifying key federal, state, and local policies regarding illegal immigration and propose solutions that ensure Michigan is doing its part to help facilitate federal deportation efforts.
The speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives would select the members of the task force, which would consist of 15 members with varying backgrounds, including state legislators, law enforcement officials, local officials, and experts in combating human and drug trafficking.
“It is imperative that the state of Michigan work with the Trump administration and federal immigration agencies to stop the crisis of illegal immigration and that we remove any state or local barriers. We must take every step possible to ensure the public’s safety, the security of our economy, and to defend the integrity of our immigration system,” Lindsey said.
The senator also made clear his disappointment with Senate leadership’s refusal to allow the bill to be formally read in during Senate session.
“The Democrat majority only scheduled two days of work this week, and both days refused to allow new legislation to be read in and formally introduced in the chamber,” Lindsey said. “I turned this bill in days ago, and there has been no progress. This is an outright failure to fulfill their constitutional duty and most basic job as lawmakers. I hope next week we are able to resume business and will be allowed by Senate leadership to do the job we were elected to do.”
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Editor’s Note: To read Senate Bill 40 in its entirety, please visit Lindsey’s website at SenatorJonathanLindsey.com. Video of the senator speaking about his legislation to create the DEPORT Task Force can be viewed by clicking here or on his website at SenatorJonathanLindsey.com/video.