Immigrant detention center laws and more news from the states

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After a West Virginia Watch investigation, Democratic lawmakers in the state House and Senate have jointly requested that West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey issue an opinion on whether fellow Republican and state Auditor Mark Hunt followed the law in executing deeds for delinquent tax properties.

And in case you missed it, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth survived an impeachment effort, for now, after the U.S. House blocked a vote over charges that the Cabinet official oversaw extrajudicial killings and an illegal war against Iran, States Newsroom’s D.C. Bureau reports.

This Veterans Day, we’re highlighting the work of two University of North Dakota students who helped digitize records that could assist investigators in the search for missing U.S. service members. Keep reading to learn more about their work. 

Montana: The state Public Service Commission approved the $15.4 billion NorthWestern Energy and Black Hills Corp. merger. The new company, once merged, will serve 2.1 million electric and natural gas customers in Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming.

North Carolina: A voting rights organization is urging state election officials to closely review thousands of provisional ballots cast in last week’s general election. The group says its team found voters who may have been eligible to vote in their counties but were required to cast provisional ballots instead. 

Texas: As Democrats firm up their agenda ahead of next year’s legislative session, more details have emerged about a key campaign pledge by Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa to tackle the state’s cost of living woes: sending $1,500 checks to every household in the state.

Oklahoma: The state’s highest court tossed out a law that made it more difficult for residents to get their issues on the ballot. In a 5-4 ruling, the high court found that the 2025 law violated the U.S. and Oklahoma constitutions, was legally void and lacked enforceability.

Maryland: A healthcare coverage watchdog group is urging lawmakers to free up funding that can be used to help keep people insured. The commission recommended that legislators extend a 1% tax on insurance carriers and that they back legislation making it easier for state officials to lower certain prescription drug costs.

Michigan: As tech companies and the Trump administration continue pushing to build out more data centers to drive artificial intelligence development, some proposals are looking to move these facilities underwater.

See the rest of the news of the day from all 50 states, plus our D.C. Bureau and Stateline, on News From The States.

Oregon Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek is calling upon state lawmakers to pass legislation outlawing the construction of new immigration detention centers in the upcoming legislative session next year, but previous court cases from other states suggest that such a law may not be enforceable, Oregon Capital Chronicle reports.

The governor made her comments at a news conference where she was asked what more she and state leaders could do to support Oregonians amid the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown, during which federal agents have shot people, conducted warrantless arrests and smashed car windows. Research from immigrant rights advocates has shown that counties with such centers are more likely to see immigration-related arrests.

An unnamed spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that the agency has no new facilities to announce “at this time” and said that the U.S. Constitution’s supremacy clause “makes it clear that sanctuary politicians do not control federal law enforcement.”

Oregon is among a few states in the nation that don’t have an overnight, large-scale immigration detention facility for the federal government. The state is home to processing facilities in cities such as Portland where detainees are temporarily held and released or transported to long-term holding detention in Tacoma, Washington. State law for decades has prohibited local or state governments from participating in immigration enforcement without a court order.

A 2021 state law already bans the creation of private immigration detention centers in the state, and future legislation could attempt to expand that ban by attempting to change how state-run public services such as utilities or permits are granted for such projects. But in both New Jersey and California, federal courts in recent years have struck down similar laws.

Bella Hammer, a social work student and member of the North Dakota Air National Guard, regularly supports military-affiliated students as part of her work with the University of North Dakota’s Veteran & Military Services. She recently found a new way to serve veterans when she played a role in an archival project, North Dakota Monitor reports.

Hammer is one of two UND students who digitized records that could help investigators search for missing U.S. service members and civilians in southeast Asia. She helped scan 6,400 pages from the James Wold Papers, which are preserved in the university’s Chester Fritz Library.

The records were requested by Tours of Duty, a nonprofit that works with veterans and families seeking answers about their missing loved ones. As part of its work, the organization collects information that could shed light on the past.

The Wold Papers date from 1943 to 2003, the year Wold died, and have been housed at the university since 2007.

Wold enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1951 and commanded units in Vietnam. He retired from the Air Force in 1977 and went on to earn his degree at the University of North Dakota School of Law. He established a law practice in Luverne, North Dakota. In 1994, Wold was appointed as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for POW/MIA Affairs. His work included efforts to account for Americans missing from the Korean and Vietnam wars.