* This would have been a better idea if legislators actually provided some funding…
The Illinois House unanimously approved a bill Wednesday that would ensure immigrant detainees in county jails have access to priests, rabbis, imams and other religious workers. The bill, which could go to the Senate for a vote next week, comes as more raids and deportations have boosted the number of immigrants at facilities in McHenry County and Downstate Pulaski County.
Like other supporters of the bill, Sister JoAnn Persch, a nun with the Catholic Campaign for Immigration Reform, says detained immigrants face depression and anxiety as they await deportation or asylum hearings. Persch said she helped spearhead the legislation after she had trouble gaining access to the McHenry County Jail in Woodstock. […]
Greg Sullivan, executive director of the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association, said the bill codifies practices for religious access that are already in place. But, he said, in some cases it can be difficult to fulfill requests, such as finding imams or rabbis in rural counties.
The feds merely require that detainees have access to all religious services. This bill takes it a step further. There are those who oppose the effort, but the bill passed unanimously, so it’s hardly radical.
* Illinoize blogger Cal Skinner has some stuff on another unfunded state mandate: driver education.