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The Senate Judiciary Committee gave a favorable report to a bill that would require law enforcement agencies to collect fingerprints and DNA from immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally before releasing them.
The bill is sponsored by Sen. Lance Bell, R-Pell City, who said this bill would help to track individuals crossing the border multiple times under different names.
“This is about building a database,” Bell said. “So, that I can’t come over today and say my name is Lance Bell … and then six months from now, after I’ve been deported, come back later on and they scan my fingerprints and I say my name is John Doe.”
“No, it ain’t. Your name is Lance Bell. We got you six months ago, and we know you’re using a fake ID now.”
Sen. Bobby Singleton voted against giving the bill a favorable report because he felt it was targeting Black and brown people specifically. Singleton felt the same criminality was not applied to white criminals who come from the northern border with Canada or Europe.
The bill received a favorable report and moves to the Senate for potential passage.
