From Immigration Checks to Tougher Criminal Penalties: How Red States are Following Trump's Immigration Agenda

As the Trump administration continues cracking down on immigration, red states are following suit, pushing for plans in their respective legislative sessions to restrict immigration and increase law enforcement.

The recent wave of proposals— mostly kicked off by Trump-adoring states— is among the biggest immigration crackdown in decades. If they are approved, not only would they upend the lives of millions of immigrants across the country, but also challenge long-established legal precedents, according to The Washington Post.

Among the leaders in this movement is Texas. Its governor, Greg Abbott, a three-term Republican known for his fierce support of President Trump, is ordering a series of measures targeting undocumented migrants. Among them is fingerprinting undocumented migrant children, barring undocumented migrants from receiving taxpayer-funded legal aid, creating a Texas Border Protection Unit and more. In 2024, he also ordered hospitals to track the cost of treating undocumented migrants.

"Today, we have a president who will partner with Texas to deny illegal entry," Abbott said during his State of the State speech late Sunday on ordering the National Guard to enforce immigration law at the border. "To support that mission, I have ordered Texas state agencies to assist the Trump administration with arresting, jailing, and deporting illegal immigrants."

Florida, Trump's own home state, is also following the trend, though they are also facing internal battles. The Florida Legislature recently passed the Tackling and Reforming Unlawful Immigration Policy (TRUMP) Act. The legislation which, among other things, would name Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wiilton Simpson as the state's chief immigration officer, increase penalties for crimes committed by undocumented migrants and force law enforcement agencies to join detention efforts.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, however, has vowed to veto the act, criticizing it as "weak" and "watered down." DeSantis' disdain for the act comes after the Sunshine State's Legislature refused to hold a special session, called by DeSantis, to discuss immigration, resulting in tension among the party. Nevertheless, state Sen. Joe Gruthers said he and other GOP legislative leaders wrote the act in consultation with the Trump administration and predicted it would ultimately become the law.

"I talked to the president and Stephen Miller and others in his administration to get technical guidance on their needs," said Gruthers, a former state GOP chairman and longtime Trump ally. "That's our goal: to support the president."

But the south is not the only region vowing down to Trump. In the Midwest, Iowa and South Dakota lawmakers introduced bills requiring state driver's licenses to indicate whether the driver is a U.S. citizen. Out West, Montana lawmakers are seeking to make immigration status checks mandatory for traffic stops and compel employers to check the immigration status of those they hire, The Washington Post reports.

Similarly, Missouri and Mississippi lawmakers have proposed allowing bounty hunters to detain undocumented immigrants and offering $1,000 rewards for tips that lead to arrests. And in Tennessee, a lawmaker wants his state to bill parents for enrolling undocumented children in public school in the proposed Tennessee Reduction of Unlawful Migrant Placement, another TRUMP Act.

It remains unclear how many of these proposed policies will ultimately pass, although their chances of becoming law are great due to the territories' conservative leaning ideologies. But nevertheless, for now, lawmakers and activists seem content with being able to aid Trump's immigration agenda.

"The thrust is costs and how do we help President Trump on the enforcement side?" Andrew Good, director of state government relations at NumbersUSA, a right-wing group advocating for immigration restrictions, told the Washington Post. "It's definitely exciting."