CONCORD, N.H. — A ban on so-called sanctuary policies passed the New Hampshire Senate in a 14-to-10 party line vote Thursday.
The vote came after over an hour of impassioned debate and during an election year when immigration has become a key issue at both the state and national level.
At least three New Hampshire communities have this kind of policy in place including Lebanon, Hanover, and Harrisville, according to the bill’s prime sponsor Senator Bill Gannon, a Sandown Republican.
Lebanon’s “Welcoming Lebanon Ordinance” prohibits local law enforcement from helping in the investigation into US citizenship or immigration status, and it bars local police from disclosing information about US citizenship or immigration status without permission from the individual.
The goal of the policy, according to the ordinance, is to foster public trust, protect civil liberties, and promote tolerance.
“Furthermore, the City recognizes that a person’s presence in the United States without documents is not a crime and that the City presently lacks the legal authority to enforce noncriminal civil violations of federal immigration law,” the ordinance reads.
Senate Bill 563 would stop local communities from enacting any policies to limit or prevent local law enforcement from communicating or cooperating with federal immigration agents. It would require local law enforcement to comply with an immigration detainer, a request to release an inmate or detainee into federal custody, or provide access for an interview.
Beyond banning sanctuary policies, the bill also requires local police to “use best efforts to support the enforcement of federal immigration law.”
Gannon called sanctuary policies disastrous and argued that they give a safe haven to criminals. Other Republicans pointed to places like Massachusetts and New York that have made headlines as they struggle to accommodate an influx of migrants.
Senator Sharon Carson, a Londonderry Republican, said Massachusetts is a warning of what could happen in New Hampshire. “We don’t want that here,” she said.
“What about us?” she said. “We’re here. We’re citizens. We’ve been here forever. We need help. But instead you’re taking all of these resources, and you’re giving them to people who shouldn’t be here.” Carson said New Hampshire welcomes migrants who come here legally.
Senate President Jeb Bradley, a Wolfeboro Republican, said sanctuary cities are a “magnet” that attract illegal immigration, which Republicans said is a public safety issue. Bradley pointed to the murder of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley. A Venezuelan man who entered the country illegally and was allowed to stay to pursue his immigration case was arrested for the crime, according to reporting by the Associated Press.
Multiple studies show that violent crime rates are significantly lower among immigrants than citizens born in the United States. A 2023 study from Stanford found that first-generation immigrants are 30 percent less likely to be incarcerated than people who are white.
Opponents of the bill said it would not improve border security and would deteriorate public safety by eroding trust between immigrant communities and the police. They also criticized the bill for dehumanizing migrants and warned it could promote bias and suspicion of immigrants, including those who came to the US legally.
“This bill only serves to make political hay of national rhetoric at the expense of valued members of our community,” said Senator Becky Whitley, a Contoocook Democrat. “We’re talking about our friends and neighbors.”
The bill was also opposed by police chiefs from several communities who said it would erode trust and positive relationships between the police and minority communities around the state. That included police chiefs from Manchester, Dover, Portsmouth, Nashua, Merrimack, and Hudson, and the sheriff from Cheshire County.
The ACLU of New Hampshire also opposed the bill. In a statement, legal director Gilles Bissonnette said detaining people at the request of federal immigration agents would deny people due process.
“When local police conduct federal immigration enforcement, they create an environment where undocumented people and their loved ones are afraid to call for help and report crimes,” he said. “This makes everyone less safe and is part of the reason why this bill is broadly opposed by immigrant communities, many in local law enforcement, and civil rights activists.”
Republican gubernatorial candidate Kelly Ayotte said she would support the bill’s passage. “We can’t allow Massachusetts’ sanctuary policies and illegal immigrant crisis to come to New Hampshire — as Governor, I would support this legislation and I will never allow New Hampshire to become a sanctuary state,” she said in a statement.
Her opponent vying for the Republican nomination, Chuck Morse, commended the Senate for passing the bill. He said sanctuary cities attract drugs, homelessness, and criminal activity. “As Governor, I’ll always oppose amnesty for illegal immigrants, strengthen sentences for fentanyl dealers, and work to recruit and retain local law enforcement to safeguard our statement.”
Neither of the Democratic candidates running for governor — former Manchester mayor Joyce Craig or Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington — immediately responded to a request for comment on the bill’s passage.
The bill now goes to the Senate Finance committee for review.
Amanda Gokee can be reached at amanda.gokee@globe.com. Follow her @amanda_gokee.