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Del. lawmakers push bills limiting ICE enforcement actions in the state

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Del. lawmakers push bills limiting ICE enforcement actions in the state


Marvin Mailey, executive director of the Delaware Association of Chiefs of Police, and Christine Kemp, president of the Delaware Fraternal Order of Police, said their organizations oppose these two bills and others sponsored by Lynn on immigration enforcement.

“We need to have the availability and the flexibility to be able to tend to emergent situations that could happen with our federal partners,” Kemp said. “I can tell you that there have been situations where the arrests that they were making in this community were done much safely by the information sharing and the assisting of our local partners.”

Lyle Dykstra, a retired pastor and community activist with the Poor People’s Campaign, said he supported the legislation.

“Church people are angry, upset because it is cruel and unkind, obviously not due process,” he said. “To willy-nilly pick up people because they’ve been profiled as appearing to be immigrants.”

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Mat Marshall, spokesperson for Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings, said Jennings supports Lynn’s bills because they’re net positives on the issue. However, he said the state DOJ prefers House Bill 182 by Gorman, which prohibits law-enforcement agencies from entering into agreements with federal immigration authorities to enforce immigration violations or share related data.

“HB 182 is a stronger bill,” he said. “It covers a broader scope, enforcement plus information sharing, and it would make the policy mandatory and consistent rather than putting it at the discretion of the AG, whether AG Jennings or a future AG who may or may not be sympathetic with this position.”

Rep. Lynn has more pieces on immigration, which passed through the committee process earlier this year and are ready for a House vote.

  • House Bill 95 would require the Delaware Department of Education, school districts and companies that store student data to obtain permission from the AG’s office before sharing that information with immigration enforcement agencies.
  • House Bill 96 would require the state DOJ to submit a quarterly report to state officials detailing immigration-related requests from federal agencies.
  • House Bill 58 bans a police officer from stopping or arresting an individual based solely on their actual or suspected immigration status, as well as bans an officer from asking about an individual’s immigration status.



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Where to find warming centers in Delaware during freezing temps

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Where to find warming centers in Delaware during freezing temps


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As temperatures fall, the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services will open multiple warming stations to provide shelter for anyone in need starting Jan. 28.

These stations will offer Delawareans “a safe, warm space to get relief from the cold,” according to a post from the department on the social media platform Facebook issued Jan. 27. 

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Temperatures through Jan. 30 are expected to be below freezing, with another chance of snow predicted for this weekend, according to a recent National Weather Service report.

The warming centers will include facilities located in all three counties, including Wilmington, Dover and Georgetown.  

Here’s what Delawareans should know. 

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Delaware warming stations

New Castle County 

Canby Park Office, 1920 Maryland Ave., Wilmington

Churchman’s Corporate Center, 84 Christiana Road, New Castle

Claymont State Service Center, 3301 Green St., Claymont

Kent County  

James W. Williams State Service Center, 805 River Road, Dover 

Smyrna State Service Center, 200 South DuPont Blvd., Suite 101, Smyrna

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Sussex County 

Anna C. Shipley State Service Center, 350 Virginia Ave., Seaford

Laurel State Service Center, 31039 North Poplar St., Laurel

Thurman Adams State Service Center, 546 S. Bedford St. Georgetown

Delaware warming station hours

Stations will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Jan. 28. Stations will remain open throughout the remainder of the week, through Jan. 30.

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These centers will provide space to residents in need of “a safe, warm place to go,” according to the Facebook post. 

How to stay warm

With winter now in full force, residents are urged to take the necessary steps to stay safe as the weather turns cold. 

This includes making sure your homes “can be safely heated” and you always have crucial items on hand in case of an emergency, including non-perishable and pet foods, water and medicine.   

Delawareans are also encouraged to have a driving kit in their car this winter.   

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Items should include blankets or sleeping bags, extra warm clothing, first-aid supplies, drinking water and shelf-stable food items like protein or energy bars and trail mix.   

Olivia Montes covers state government and community impact for Delaware Online/The News Journal. If you have a tip or a story idea, reach out to her at omontes@delawareonline.com.     



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Delaware Senate Democrats oppose more ICE funding after Minneapolis shootings

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Delaware Senate Democrats oppose more ICE funding after Minneapolis shootings


What are journalists missing from the state of Delaware? What would you most like WHYY News to cover? Let us know.

Delaware’s congressional delegation is calling President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown lawless and vowing to oppose more money for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The effort to vote down additional DHS funding this week comes after two U.S. citizens were fatally shot by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents, respectively, this month in Minneapolis. Renee Nicole Macklin Good, a 37-year old mom, was killed Jan. 7, and Alex Pretti, a Veterans Affairs intensive care nurse, died at the hands of federal officers last week.

U.S. Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware said federal agents are wreaking havoc on all Americans, and that this is a pivotal moment for the country.

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“It is incumbent upon all of us to do whatever we can in this moment,” she said. “Delawareans, we’re known as a state of neighbors, and I hope that that sentiment stays with us and spreads across the country, because we need it now more than ever.”

The Trump administration, as well as the president himself, have blamed the victims for their deaths. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called Good a “domestic terrorist.” She said Pretti was “brandishing a weapon,” although bystander video shows Pretti holding a cellphone and trying to help a woman who had been pepper sprayed. Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino said Pretti intended to “massacre law enforcement agents.”

DHS received $75 billion in the massive tax and spending bill Republicans passed this summer, known as the “one big, beautiful bill.” Senators are currently scheduled to vote Thursday on six “minibus” appropriation bills to fund the government. If those fail, a partial government shutdown could begin as soon as midnight Friday. Senate Democrats want the DHS funding bill to get a separate vote from the other bills.



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Delaware needs to take care of littering

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Delaware needs to take care of littering


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