A new analysis from the American Immigration Council, titled "What State Lawmakers Can Do to Protect Immigrants: Privacy, Public Safety, and Detention Reform," lays out the levers available to state legislatures that want to shield immigrant residents from federal immigration enforcement pressure.

The report organizes its recommendations around three policy areas: data privacy, public safety cooperation limits, and detention reform.

Privacy protections come first. The Council argues states can restrict how agencies collect, store and share information about residents' immigration status and national origin. The goal is straightforward. When state databases do not record immigration-related details, federal authorities have less material to draw on. Lawmakers can write rules that limit data sharing with federal immigration agencies and require warrants before personal information moves between systems.

Public safety is the second pillar. The analysis frames trust between immigrant communities and local police as a public safety asset. When residents fear that any contact with authorities could lead to deportation, they stop reporting crimes. State legislation can codify limits on local police involvement in federal immigration enforcement, keeping patrol officers focused on criminal matters rather than civil immigration violations.

Detention reform completes the picture. The Council points to state authority over jail contracts and licensing as a check on the immigration detention system. Because many detention facilities operate through agreements with local governments, state lawmakers can regulate or decline those arrangements. Legislative options include oversight of facility conditions and restrictions on new detention agreements.

The report arrives as immigration enforcement remains a contested field between Washington and the states. While immigration law is federal, the Council emphasizes that states control their own agencies, records and contracts. Those powers shape how federal enforcement actually operates on the ground.

For immigrants and their families, the practical stakes are concrete: whether a traffic stop can spiral into an immigration hold, whether a state benefits office shares a file, and whether a local jail beds detainees for federal authorities. Each of those outcomes depends on decisions state legislators can make.

Readers should consult the full American Immigration Council publication for the specific model policies and legal citations. Individuals facing enforcement action should seek advice from a licensed immigration attorney or accredited representative; this summary describes a policy report, not personal legal guidance.

Passport File will continue to track state legislative activity on these measures as sessions progress.