Immigration in Mississippi

died · Mississippi · Senate Feb 4, 2025

SB 2473: Land ownership; prohibit nonresident alien ownership of.

SB 2473 prohibits nonresident aliens from owning land in Mississippi if they are from countries designated as "foreign adversaries" by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce or known human rights violators. It requires existing nonresident alien owners to sell land within 1-2 years (depending on how they acquired it) or face fines up to $5 million, followed by civil forfeiture. Real estate professionals must disclose these restrictions to clients but are not liable for verifying foreign adversary status. The bill died in committee on February 4, 2025, and never became law.

Topics ✗ Immigration

died · Mississippi · House Feb 4, 2025

HB 695: Foreign nationals; prohibit from making any contribution or expenditure connected to any ballot measure.

HB 695 prohibits foreign nationals (non-citizens not lawfully residing in the U.S.) from contributing money or making expenditures related to Mississippi state or local ballot measures. The bill defines "foreign national" using federal standards but excludes U.S. citizens. It also bans anyone from soliciting, accepting, or receiving such contributions from foreign nationals. The bill died in committee in February 2025 and never became law.

Topics ✗ Immigration

died · Mississippi · Senate Feb 4, 2025

SB 2041: School enrollment; criminalize the enrollment without establishing domicile.

SB 2041 would criminalize enrolling a child in a Mississippi public school without establishing the child's permanent residence (domicile) in the state and district. Parents, guardians, or custodians found guilty of willful enrollment without domicile would face misdemeanor penalties of up to $500 fines or 30 days in jail, and the child would be expelled from school. School employees must report violations to law enforcement, and the bill defines "permanent residence" as the place where a person lives with the intent to stay there permanently. This bill specifically targets out-of-state enrollments without proper domicile, aiming to enforce residency requirements for public school attendance.

Topics ✗ Education ✗ Immigration

died · Mississippi · House Feb 4, 2025

HB 1484: MS Illegal Alien Certified Bounty Hunter Program; create.

This bill would create the "Mississippi Illegal Alien Certified Bounty Hunter Program," allowing licensed bail bond agents to become certified bounty hunters focused on locating and detaining undocumented immigrants in Mississippi. It establishes a new felony offense ("trespass by an illegal alien") punishable by life imprisonment without parole, disqualifies offenders from voting, driving, or accessing state benefits, and offers a $1,000 reward for reporting undocumented immigrants to a dedicated state information system. The program requires DNA collection upon apprehension and funds implementation through a dedicated state treasury fund. The bill died in committee on February 4, 2025, and did not become law.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice ✗ Immigration

Sub-Topics Probation & Parole

died · Mississippi · House Feb 4, 2025

HC 5: Constitution; amend to provide that only citizens of the United States are allowed the opportunity to vote.

House Concurrent Resolution 5 (HC 5) proposes amending Mississippi's 1890 Constitution to explicitly state that only U.S. citizens may vote in state or local elections and referendums. The bill would replace existing language by removing the term "inhabitant" and specifying "citizens of the United States" as a requirement, while maintaining current residency, age, registration, and disqualification rules (e.g., for certain felony convictions). This change would directly affect non-citizen residents who currently have voting eligibility under Mississippi’s current constitution. The amendment would be submitted to voters in the November 2026 election, with the ballot explanation stating it "provides that only citizens of the United States are allowed the opportunity to vote."

Topics ✗ Immigration

died · Mississippi · Senate Feb 4, 2025

SB 2511: Mississippi Immigration Enforcement Act of 2025; enact.

SB 2511, the Mississippi Immigration Enforcement Act of 2025, creates a special fund to support state immigration enforcement by imposing a fee on money transmitters (e.g., Western Union). The fee - $7.50 per transaction under $500 plus 1.5% on amounts over $500 - is collected from businesses and directed into the "Illegal Immigration Enforcement Fund," which funds the new Illegal Immigration Enforcement Unit within the Department of Public Safety. This unit is authorized to enforce immigration laws under federal Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, requiring county detention facilities to enter into agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by a specific deadline. The bill also prohibits contracts with carriers knowingly transporting unauthorized aliens, though it died in committee on February 4, 2025, and never became law.

Topics ✗ Immigration

Sub-Topics Enforcement

died · Mississippi · House Feb 4, 2025

HB 1440: MS Immigration Enforcement Act of 2025; create.

HB 1440, the "Mississippi Immigration Enforcement Act of 2025," would have required money transmission businesses (like check cashers or remittance services) to collect a $7.50 fee plus 1.5% of transactions over $500 per transaction. Funds from these fees would have been deposited into a new "Illegal Immigration Enforcement Fund" to support a dedicated unit within Mississippi's Department of Public Safety and local law enforcement agencies participating in a federal immigration program. The bill also would have mandated county detention centers to sign agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by 2026 and provided tax credits to customers who filed tax returns with a Social Security number. The bill died in committee on February 4, 2025, and never became law.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✗ Immigration

Sub-Topics Enforcement

died · Mississippi · House Feb 4, 2025

HB 47: Unauthorized aliens; penalize transport into state by any person and prohibit forgery of documents.

HB 47 prohibits knowingly transporting unauthorized immigrants into Mississippi as a felony punishable by 1-5 years in prison and fines up to $10,000. It also criminalizes forging government documents for unauthorized immigrants with similar penalties. The bill directly affects individuals who transport undocumented people or forge documents, while amending existing laws to strengthen enforcement (e.g., increasing penalties for E-Verify violations and restricting driver's licenses for unauthorized immigrants). It also clarifies that Mississippi agencies must cooperate with federal immigration enforcement and prohibits unauthorized immigrants from serving as labor representatives. The bill died in committee on February 4, 2025, and does not specify new public benefit restrictions beyond existing provisions.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice ✗ Immigration

Sub-Topics Driver Licenses & IDs Enforcement Work Authorization

died · Mississippi · House Feb 4, 2025

HB 1538: Certificates of titles for motor vehicles; prohibit the issuance of to non-United States citizens who are using certain passports.

HB 1538 prohibits Mississippi from issuing motor vehicle title certificates to individuals who are not U.S. citizens and use a non-U.S. passport to apply. It directly affects non-citizen residents attempting to title vehicles using foreign passports as identification. The bill amends existing title application rules to explicitly exclude non-U.S. passports as acceptable identification for non-citizens, requiring alternative proof of identity instead. This is a procedural change to the state's title application process under Section 63-21-15 of Mississippi law.

Topics ✗ Immigration

Sub-Topics Driver Licenses & IDs

died · Mississippi · Senate Feb 4, 2025

SB 2196: Illegal immigration; criminalize under state law.

SB 2196 would criminalize illegal entry into Mississippi by non-citizens who enter outside designated ports of entry (Section 5) or remain in the state after being denied admission or removed by federal authorities (Section 6). It classifies these violations as misdemeanors (up to 180 days jail or $2,000 fine) or felonies (up to 2 years jail or $10,000 fine) depending on prior offenses. The bill includes limited affirmative defenses for those with federal asylum, lawful presence, or approved DACA status (2012-2021), but not for other federal programs. Law enforcement cannot arrest individuals at schools, places of worship, or healthcare facilities under this law (Section 2), and court orders for removal require specific documentation and federal database checks (Section 3). The bill died in committee in February 2025 and was never enacted.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice ✗ Immigration

Sub-Topics DACA & Dreamers Enforcement Refugees & Asylum

All immigration bills