MONTPELIER, Vt. — With more illegal immigrants moving beyond the border states and a lack of federal immigration reform, some states and communities are coming up with their own enforcement policies.
They range from crackdowns to a hands-off approach where police are prohibited from asking about immigration status.
Last month, Vermont's governor changed the state policing policy after two illegal immigrants who were passengers in a pickup truck were handed over to Border Patrol after a traffic stop. Now Vermont troopers will not ask about immigration status when investigating a civil violation, mainly traffic stops. But they can ask about it in investigations of criminal offenses or certain cases of suspicious activity.
The Massachusetts State Police have a similar policy, while states like Arizona and Alabama have tough new laws cracking down on illegal immigrants.