Raleigh — ACLU of North Carolina executive director Chantal Stevens shared the following statement after the North Carolina House passed House Bill 10:
“This is the third time in recent history that legislators have attempted to pass this same bill, and it has failed both previous times. House Bill 10 is an anti-immigrant bill that circumvents the local authority of sheriffs by requiring them to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and assist in the federal government’s deportation pipeline or face criminal charges.
“Local law enforcement involvement in immigration enforcement creates intense fear and distrust among immigrant community members. HB 10 would make people scared to seek support from their local officials. It would also make survivors and victims of domestic violence less likely to access critical public resources when they know they could run the risk of being detained. When ICE and local law enforcement collaborate, our communities are less safe.
“Last year, Governor Cooper vetoed this harmful bill and it failed to become law. We must do everything in our power to ensure that this bill is once again defeated.”