NC Senate Passes Proposals Supporting Trump Admin's Illegal Immigration Policies
SB 153 holds municipalities, counties accountable if they create sanctuary policies
HB 318 expands the list of criminal offenses that require a residency check, establishes clear timeline for notifying ICE
Raleigh, N.C. – Today, North Carolina Senate Republicans voted to support two immigration enforcement bills, sending one to Gov. Josh Stein for his consideration and returning the second to the House for approval.
The two bills support President Donald Trump's border protection and immigration enforcement policies and strengthen previous efforts by the General Assembly to require law enforcement agencies across the state to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.
Not a single Democrat in the Senate voted to protect our borders and uphold the rule of law.
The Senate gave final approval to Senate Bill 153, the "North Carolina Border Protection Act," which seeks to ensure state law enforcement agencies cooperate with federal immigration officials and that residents are protected from harmful Sanctuary City policies.
"North Carolina is one step closer to increasing the safety of every citizen in the state," bill sponsor Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) said. "The Republican-led General Assembly made it clear that harboring criminal illegal aliens will not be tolerated in our state. It's time for Gov. Josh Stein to show North Carolinians that he stands with them and supports the rule of law by swiftly signing this bill."
Senate Bill 153 would do the following:
Require state law enforcement agencies, including the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Adult Correction, the State Highway Patrol, and the State Bureau of Investigation, to enter into agreements with the director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to fully cooperate with immigration laws.
Those law enforcement agencies would also be required to determine the immigration status of any person in their custody or under their supervision.
State agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services and the Division of Employment Security, would be required to determine whether, and to what extent, certain state-funded public benefits are being provided to unauthorized immigrants and take the necessary steps to make sure those benefits are not provided to individuals in this country illegally.
To hold counties and municipalities that continue to act as Sanctuary Jurisdictions accountable, this bill waives their local immunity, thereby allowing citizens harmed by illegal immigrants to sue them.
Finally, it prohibits UNC System campuses from implementing policies that do not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement and from adopting sanctuary school policies.
Additionally, the Senate passed House Bill 318, "The Criminal Illegal Alien Enforcement Act."
House Bill 318 expands the list of crimes that would trigger a jail or prison administrator to attempt to determine the legal residency of a prisoner. It also requires judicial officials to attempt to determine legal residency for those crimes as part of the pretrial release conditions. If he or she is unable to determine legal residency, the defendant will be committed to a facility to be fingerprinted and held for a period of two hours after reaching out to ICE. The bill also requires any person with an ICE detainer and administrative warrant to be held for 48 hours after the individual would otherwise be released.
"Holding Sanctuary Cities accountable for their disregard of public safety will bring peace of mind to North Carolinians," Senate Bill 153 sponsor Sen. Buck Newton (R-Wilson) said. "We cannot have safe communities if elected officials are openly flouting state laws to earn political clout."
Senate Bill 153 sponsor Sen. Warren Daniel (R-Burke) said, "President Trump is taking border protection seriously, and North Carolina needs to match those efforts. The North Carolina Border Protection Act will allow for immediate action that will be positively felt across the state.”
Senate Bill 153 now goes to Gov. Stein for his consideration. He has 10 days to either sign it into law, veto it, or let it become law without his signature. House Bill 318 returns to the House of Representatives for approval.
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