MISSISSIPPI

Before Arizona SB 1070, the nation’s most punitive anti-immigrant law in the country was the Mississippi Employment Protection Act (MEPA), which went into effect on July 1, 2008. The law requires that all employers begin to use the flawed federal E-Verify program and elevates working without authorization to a felony.

Political Landscape

2011 Session: January 4–April 3, 2011
Senate: There is a Democratic majority (D – 27; R – 25). There are no elections in 2010.
- Republican state senators Lee Yancey (R–Brandon), Chris McDaniel (R–Ellisville), and Michael Watson (R–Pascagoula) are said to be working on Arizona-style legislation.
House of Representatives: There is a Democratic majority (D – 72; R – 50). There are no elections in 2010.
- Representative Becky Currie (R–Brookhaven) plans to sponsor an Arizona-like piece of legislation in the next legislative session.
On September 28 and 29, a joint hearing was held entitled “Mississippi Senate Hearings on Immigration Reform.”
- Among the people and organizations that appeared at the hearings are American Civil Liberties Union, Department of Public Safety Commissioner Steve Simpson, the Mississippi Human Services Coalition, Mississippi NAACP, Mississippi Federation for Immigration Reform and Enforcement, and the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance.
Governor: Republican Governor Haley Barbour told reporters he would sign a bill like Arizona's. No elections are being held in 2010.

NCLR’s Mississippi State Assessment: Very likely to be debated

Given Mississippi’s history and legislative makeup, anti-immigrant legislation seems very likely to be debated. However, given that Mississippi already has one of the most punitive anti-immigrant laws in the country, legislators may not view this as a priority.