Policy

State preemption is a key to Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown

Republican governors and legislatures have taken steps through executive orders and legislation to help the president.
Immigrants and their supporters in Utah rally against President Donald Trump’s deportation efforts, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, outside the Capitol Building in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Hannah Schoenbaum)

State legislatures will be instrumental to President Trump’s plan to crack down on illegal immigration, as like-minded lawmakers pass legislation forcing localities to comply with those policies, experts said Thursday.

“States are going to be playing a massive role,” Rick Su, a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law, said during a call hosted by Local Solutions Support Center, which seeks to protect local autonomy.

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