Immigration

Governor Dunleavy praised President Trump's immigration enforcement, contrasting it with the Biden administration's policies. He celebrated Trump's "Unleashing Alaska" executive order and the broader shift toward enforcement, though immigration was not a primary focus of the address.

Governor Hobbs took a nuanced stance, deploying the Arizona National Guard to the southern border and launching Operation Desert Guardian, which seized over $105 million worth of drugs and made over 1,400 arrests. However, she criticized the federal government for using "law enforcement resources to score political points in cities thousands of miles from the southern border" and demanded reimbursement for over $700 million in state border security expenses since 2021.

Governor Newsom strongly condemned federal immigration actions, describing "secret police, businesses raided, windows smashed, citizens detained, masked men snatching people in broad daylight, using American cities as training grounds for the US military." He positioned California as proving that "legal immigration works" and filed 52 lawsuits against federal overreach.

Governor Polis criticized the Trump administration's immigration agenda as "costly and cruel," noting that nearly 75% of people in immigration detention centers have no criminal history. He described families debating whether to go to work or send children to school out of fear, calling the situation incompatible with Colorado values.

Governor Lamont delivered some of the harshest rhetoric on ICE, stating "ICE, everywhere you go uninvited, violence follows. Go home. We are keeping Connecticut safe without you." He noted that Hispanic kids are scared to go to school and that ICE agents "hide behind a mask" and come to arrest people "often based upon the color of their skin." He committed to protecting schools and courthouses from federal immigration raids.

Governor Little highlighted "Operation No Return" through which Idaho State Police are removing "dangerous illegal alien criminals from our neighborhoods," including "child rapists, stalkers, violent offenders, kidnappers, and drug traffickers." He praised the partnership with the Trump administration on immigration enforcement as a key public safety measure.

Governor Healey condemned ICE actions, citing a high school student arrested on his way to volleyball practice and a college student deported to Honduras. She stated "none of this makes us safer" and described parents afraid to send kids to school or go to church. She emphasized Massachusetts was "built by immigrants" including her own Irish grandparents.

Governor Moore highlighted the story of Pastor Omar Fuentes Espinal, who was detained by ICE after 24 years in the U.S. He announced "Citizenship Maryland" to help 150,000 eligible Marylanders obtain citizenship and pledged legislation to protect Marylanders from unconstitutional actions by federal agents, while noting nearly one in five Marylanders was born in another country.

Governor Mills delivered a forceful defense of immigrants, declaring "if you seek to harm Maine people, you will have to go through me first." She condemned "masked law enforcement onto the streets of America" and federal agents who "seek to intimidate and to silence us," pledging that Maine would not be intimidated or silenced.

Governor Pillen celebrated Nebraska as "one of the first states in the nation to establish an ICE detention facility" and described a shooting incident involving "a convicted felon and El Salvadoran national in our country illegally" who shot three Omaha police officers. He framed immigration enforcement as essential to protecting families from criminals, drug traffickers, and cartel organizations.

Governor-elect Sherrill referenced families living in fear of ICE raids, stating "children who are afraid that their parents will disappear in an ICE raid while they are at school." She pledged to keep doors open for immigrant communities and emphasized New Jersey's identity as a state built by immigrants.

Governor Hochul announced significant immigration-related policy proposals, including prohibiting state resources from assisting federal immigration raids on non-criminal targets, requiring ICE agents to have judicial warrants to enter schools, daycares, hospitals, and houses of worship, and proposing legislation to allow New Yorkers to hold ICE agents accountable in court when they act outside their duties. She cited the arrest of a NYC analyst with legal work authorization as an example of overreach.

Governor Stitt praised border security efforts and linked immigration to the marijuana industry, claiming it "enables cartel activity, human trafficking, and foreign influence." He framed immigration enforcement as part of broader public safety and protecting the Oklahoma way of life.

Governor Rhoden detailed Operation Prairie Thunder results, including 63 illegal aliens handed to ICE custody, 9 cartel or gang members apprehended, and expanded 287(g) agreements with Highway Patrol and Department of Corrections. He emphasized that troopers "enforce the law and hand that individual over to the proper authorities" when encountering people in the country illegally.

New Governor Spanberger pledged that immigration enforcement would follow the Constitution and specifically included "hardworking, law-abiding immigrant neighbors" in her promise to focus on security and safety. She positioned herself as the daughter of an immigrant single mom from Jamaica and emphasized an inclusive vision.

Governor Ferguson called ICE actions "horrific" and "unjust," referencing "federal agents in masks jumping out of unmarked cars and grabbing people off our streets." He endorsed Senator Valdez's bill to prohibit law enforcement from wearing masks and require visible identifying information, calling the conduct "a shameful period in our nation's history."

Governor Evers expressed concern about neighbors "who aren't going to school or work or anywhere else, because they're scared leaving their home may mean their family will be torn apart" and worried about kids being traumatized. He noted Wisconsin's dairy industry has depended on immigrant labor for generations.