Immigration

SB 3145 proposed appropriating $500,000 from Mississippi's General Fund to establish an Immigration Enforcement Division within the Department of Public Safety, appoint an enforcement director, and provide incentives for local law enforcement agencies to partner with federal immigration authorities under Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The bill directly affected local law enforcement agencies by offering financial incentives to participate in federal immigration enforcement programs. The bill died in committee on February 26, 2025, and was never enacted into law.

This bill proposes amending Mississippi's state constitution to explicitly require U.S. citizenship for voting eligibility. It would change Section 241 to state that only U.S. citizens can vote in state elections, directly affecting non-citizen residents who currently have voting rights in Mississippi. The key provision removes any ambiguity by making citizenship a mandatory requirement, replacing the current language that already specified citizenship but lacked explicit emphasis. The ballot explanation for voters would state: "This proposed constitutional amendment provides that only citizens of the United States are allowed the opportunity to vote." The bill died in committee on March 4, 2025, and did not advance to a statewide vote.

This resolution (SR 131) urges Mississippi local law enforcement agencies to enter into 287(g) agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). These agreements would allow trained local officers to assist ICE in identifying and removing non-citizens who are in the U.S. illegally or have criminal charges. The resolution does not create new law but calls on local agencies to partner with federal authorities on immigration enforcement under existing federal programs. It was referred to committee but died there in April 2025, meaning it did not become law.