The governor signs four bills from State Rep. Mara Gorman (D-Newark) into law, putting several immigrant protection and civil liberties bills across the legal finish line.
House Bill 142 will prohibit a warrantless arrest by a private person in the case of an individual accused in the courts of another state of a felony. It would also strike a provision relating to the authority of an officer to command assistance in making arrests based on charges in another state.
House Bill 152, will expand the criminal offense of impersonating law enforcement officials to also prohibit the impersonation of a federal officer.
The legislation passed unanimously in both chambers of the General Assembly in June following the recent murders and attempted murders of two state elected officials and their spouses in Minnesota by a private citizen impersonating a police officer.
The bill also follow reports of two suspects impersonating ICE officers in Milton during an armed robbery last month, which the Delaware Department of Justice says is still under investigation.
House Bill 153, similar to HB 142, prohibits arrest or detention by any person who does not have explicit statutory authority to carry out an arrest or detention, commonly referred to as a “citizen’s arrest.”
The fourth bill, House Bill 182, prohibits law-enforcement agencies from entering into agreements with federal immigration authorities to enforce immigration violations or share immigration enforcement related data.
“This is an attempt, particularly House Bill 182, is an attempt to say to communities in Delaware that law enforcement officials in Delaware are here for your safety. They are here to protect you," Gov. Meyer said during the bill the signing.
Attorney General Kathy Jennings says regardless of documentation status, Delawareans should always feel comfortable coming forward to talk to law enforcement to report crimes.
“The Trump administration has been doing its damnedest to obliterate that sacred trust. We in Delaware will not let that happen. These bills strengthen the rule of law, protect people from abuse and ensure that policing in Delaware is professional, constitutional and just," she said.
House Bill 182 follows an announcement from the Camden Police Department in April that it entered into an enforcement agreement with ICE — the department walked that agreement back just a week later after facing public backlash.
Several other immigration-related bills are still working their way through the legislative process. Another bill from Rep. Gorman would prohibit civil arrests from being made in courthouses without a judicial warrant.
Another piece of legislation from Rep. Gorman, House Bill 151, never received an initial committee hearing. It would prohibit the operation of private detention facilities in Delaware.
While there are currently no private detention facilities in the First State, Gorman says the federal government’s immigration detention system relies heavily on private prison corporations and wants to keep Delaware from contributing to a system that is often not as well-regulated as state-operated detention facilities.
Both of these bills still have the opportunity to advance next year.
Additionally, State Rep. Sean Lynn (D-Dover) has six immigration protection-related bills in the legislature that remain in limbo until the new year.
