The North Carolina General Assembly pushed forward two bills Wednesday that would require statewide cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The state Senate Judiciary Committee heard House Bill 318, which would require sheriffs to keep undocumented inmates for at least 48 hours past their release date. They would also have to notify ICE two hours before an inmate is released.
Democratic Sen. Sydney Batch of Wake County spoke against the bill at Wednesday’s hearing, saying victims impacted by a crime would not receive justice if the accused are turned over to ICE rather than facing local charges.
“That is, frankly, who is most harmed and aggrieved in this process, and they absolutely deserve their day in court — and any further consequences, obviously, that can be met by the person who committed the crime in the first place," Batch said.
The House also voted to pass Senate Bill 153, which would require all state law enforcement agencies to cooperate with ICE. The bill now heads back to the Senate for a final vote before possibly going to Gov. Josh Stein’s desk.
