The North Carolina House passed a bill Tuesday to require sheriffs to cooperate even more closely with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — not just holding immigrants when ICE issues a detainer. The vote was 70 to 45.
House Bill 318, the Criminal Illegal Alien Enforcement Act, would require sheriffs to keep undocumented inmates 48 hours past their release date and notify ICE two hours before an inmate is released.
The bill comes as Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden has declined to follow up with ICE before releasing inmates. Democratic Rep. Jordan Lopez, of Mecklenburg County, was outspoken against the bill, saying it violates due process in the U.S. Constitution.
"We all believe that if you commit a crime in this state, you should be subject to the laws, but with respect to the rights that we all have in the pursuit of justice," Lopez said. "[The bill] requires violating people's rights, spending taxpayer dollars to do so in the process and it opens up the state to costly lawsuits."
The bill now heads to the state Senate. Gov. Josh Stein will likely veto the bill if it passes there, but Republicans could seek support from Democrats to override the veto.
