New Hampshire lawmakers approved legislation prohibiting cities and towns from enacting “sanctuary” policies.

“The Senate gave final approval to a pair of bills Thursday that would ban sanctuary policies in local governments, allow jails to hold individuals on immigration detainers up to 48 hours and enable police and sheriffs to make their own agreements with federal immigration officials to join in enforcement efforts,” WMUR reports.

“By banning sanctuary cities, we’re ensuring New Hampshire doesn’t go the way of Massachusetts and their billion-dollar illegal immigrant crisis,” New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte said.

“Thank you to the House and Senate for sending these bills to my desk — together, we’re keeping our state the safest in the nation,” she added.

By banning sanctuary cities, we’re ensuring New Hampshire doesn’t go the way of Massachusetts and their billion-dollar illegal immigrant crisis.

Thank you to the House and Senate for sending these bills to my desk — together, we’re keeping our state the safest in the nation. https://t.co/FUcOF6HWeA

— Governor Kelly Ayotte (@KellyAyotte) May 15, 2025

WMUR reports:

Few Democrats spoke out against the bills on the Senate floor. They raised concerns over the broad scope of current enforcement efforts being undertaken by the Trump Administration.

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“We’ve seen cases where international students have been detained, held in facilities far from where they live and study and separated from their communities,” said state Sen. Tara Reardon. “How terrifying are these actions? And they don’t just affect individuals. They send a chilling message to all of us about what can happen when you speak up.”

The bills are now on their way to Ayotte’s desk, and she is expected to sign them. Republican leaders said the measures are simply about upholding the law.

“I never thought this would be controversial,” said Majority Leader Regina Birdsell. “I never thought it would take us nearly a decade to get this through, but I’m glad we can finally assure our constituents that we will not have sanctuary cities in New Hampshire.”

Big Win For NHGOP As Sanctuary City Ban Heads to Ayotte’s Desk Over Dem Objections https://t.co/Y3mG5mkkpI@nhgop @nhdems @KellyAyotte

— NH Journal (@NewHampJournal) May 16, 2025

From The Center Square:

Backers of the proposals say “sanctuary” communities hinder criminal and terrorist investigations, and encourage illegal immigration. They argue that local police should be working with federal officials to go after criminals who are living in the country illegally.

“When federal authorities present an immigration detainer, New Hampshire police departments should honor that and not help illegal immigrants evade the law,” state Sen. Regina Birdsell, R-Hampstead, said in remarks Thursday on the Senate floor. “I never thought this would be controversial. I never thought it would take us nearly a decade to get this through.”

Democrats opposed both bills, arguing that giving local police authority to cooperate with ICE agents makes communities less safe because it dissuades people from reporting crime for fear of deportation. They argued that local police shouldn’t be forced to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement actions.