Trump Is Fueling an Unprecedented Change to Immigration Laws Around the Country

Welcome to WHAT NOW, a morning round-up of the news/fresh horrors that await you today.

Before he was elected, President Donald Trump made promises to crack down on immigration a cornerstone of his campaign. Since taking office, lawmakers in states across the country following his lead at the state level.

A report from The New York Times published Monday night found that states have already approved 133 immigration measures in the first half of this year, almost twice the 70 passed in all of 2016. The spike comes after what the Times called a “relatively subdued” 2016 for immigration policymaking, with states passing as many laws as they have so far this year or even more.

One of the most popular issues was sanctuary cities, with 36 states considering legislation on the cities and municipalities that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration officials. Of those, Georgia, Indiana, Mississippi, and Texas each passed anti-sanctuary city laws. Nine such laws were vetoed by governors, with 18 other bills passed onto their desks to be signed as of late June, according to the Times.

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