A proposal to enact harsher penalties on undocumented people convicted of crimes has passed a vote in the Arkansas Senate. Senate Bill 426 would add as many as 20 extra years of prison time to sentences of undocumented migrants convicted of some violent crimes. Democratic Sen. Clarke Tucker asked the bill’s sponsor, Republican Sen. Jim Dotson, about the financial impact of lengthening prison sentences.
Crimes eligible for enhanced sentencing under the bill include murder, rape, arson and aggravated assault, among other violent crimes. It would also require local law enforcement to work with federal immigration enforcement officers. The bill now heads to a House committee.
