A new Mississippi law set to take effect this week will allow the state's top law enforcement agency to compile a list of all undocumented immigrants living in Mississippi, according to state officials and legal analysts. The legislation authorizes the Department of Public Safety to collect names, addresses, country of origin, whether subjects are adults or children, criminal history, and the date, location and status of any deportation proceedings.
The measure requires the department to share information on immigrants suspected of violating laws with state and local authorities. It also instructs the Department of Public Safety and county detention agencies to attempt cooperation agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement under Section 287(g) of federal immigration law. The authorization extends for two years and could include people who overstay visas.
What the Left Is Saying
Immigrant advocates have raised sharp objections to the legislation. Efrén Olivares, vice president of litigation and legal strategy at the National Immigration Law Center, a nonprofit that advocates for low-income immigrants, told the Associated Press that immigration status is fluid and constantly changing.
"You can be undocumented today, and then have status tomorrow, and then lose it again next month, and then regain it three months from now," Olivares said. "It's practically unworkable, but it's also very worrisome, because it's eerily reminiscent of other countries that have created lists of certain groups of people."
Victoria Francis, deputy director of state and local initiatives for the American Immigration Council, a nonprofit that advocates on behalf of immigrants, warned that the law has the potential to redirect law enforcement resources away from protecting the public in favor of investigating immigrants who may be contributing to the economy.
"A mandate like this invites profiling and turning entire communities into targets," Francis told the Associated Press.
Lydia Grizzell, policy and advocacy manager for the ACLU of Mississippi, said the law could harm the trust between police and residents. "That increases the likelihood of individuals not reaching out to law enforcement when it's needed – and that is opposite of the mission," she said.
What the Right Is Saying
State Sen. Angela Hill, a Republican who sponsored Senate Bill 2114, argued that states have both a right and an obligation to assist the federal government in addressing illegal immigration, which she claims contributes to crimes such as human and drug trafficking.
"In order to address the problems caused by illegal immigration, we need to understand the magnitude of the problem," Hill said. "Identifying the number and identity of illegal aliens in Mississippi is a concrete way to better understand the problem."
Hill described the new measure as "commonsense" legislation that allows state officials to gather necessary data on an issue she frames as fundamentally a matter of public safety.
Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, a nonprofit think tank that supports immigration restrictions, said state officials must develop a reliable method for determining someone's immigration status. However, she argued the law "makes a lot of sense" and increases the likelihood that unauthorized presence will be identified by federal authorities.
The Mississippi law appears similar to a 2021 executive order by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that directed the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to use all lawful investigative means to determine the number and identities of undocumented residents in that state.
What the Numbers Show
Mississippi has one of the country's smallest percentages of undocumented immigrants, with fewer than 28,000 people, which amounts to less than 1% of its population, according to the American Immigration Council, citing 2023 Census Bureau data. The state is among more than 100 jurisdictions that have adopted immigration-related legislation this year.
Republican-led states have pursued various measures to support federal enforcement efforts, including requiring local sheriffs to sign cooperative agreements with ICE, reinforcing eligibility restrictions for public benefits and instructing election clerks to check voter rolls against the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements system in an effort to identify noncitizens. The Mississippi law does not expressly require or prohibit sharing its database of undocumented immigrants with federal immigration authorities.
The Bottom Line
The Mississippi legislation represents one of a wave of state-level initiatives this year as Republican-led states move to align with the Trump administration's approach to immigration enforcement. The measure raises questions about resource allocation, civil liberties and the relationship between state and federal law enforcement in immigration matters. Immigrant advocates are expected to monitor implementation closely, while supporters argue it provides necessary tools for addressing illegal immigration at the state level. Courts have previously blocked some state immigration measures as conflicting with federal authority.