Idaho sanctuary cities bill opposed by farm groups rewritten

An immigration related bill opposed by many Idaho farm groups has been amend ed and reintroduced in the Idaho Legislature. The new legislation initially appears to be more palatable to farm groups. The original legislation, House Bull 76, sought to prevent so-called sanctuary cities from being established in Idaho. But it also included a provision that ag groups believe would have required law enforcement officers to hold anyone arrested for up to 48 hours for further checks if they could not prove legal residence. Several of the state’s largest farm groups worried that provision and others in the original bill would send a message to the state’s immigrant work force that they aren’t welcome in Idaho. After consulting with ag industry leaders, Rep. Greg Chaney, R-Caldwell, crafted a different bill that drops the provisions dealing with enforcement action that farm groups were concerned about.