The North Carolina General Assembly has agreed to vote next week on several items, including a controversial immigration bill.
House Bill 10 will require all sheriffs in North Carolina to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE.
The bill has been in the works since January of 2023.
Some sheriffs in North Carolina already collaborate with ICE through a voluntary program called 287(g), though not Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden. HB10 will make it mandatory for all sheriffs to collaborate.
Carolina Migrant Network Cofounder Stefania Arteaga says this bill will greatly impact the immigrant community in Charlotte.
"This bill, essentially what it does is it puts communities at risk of racial profiling," Arteaga said. "It puts communities at risk of not feeling comfortable in our communities."
Political science professor Dr. Margaret Commins of Queens University of Charlotte says regardless of whether HB10 is enacted, many sheriffs in North Carolina already do not refuse to cooperate with ICE relating to serious crimes like felonies.
"If ICE serves a detainer on a North Carolina sheriff, they have to honor that detainer, whether this bill exists or not," Commins said.
Commins believes HB 10 will have serious chilling effects on the immigrant community, regardless of whether policies do change.
The North Carolina Senate is expected to return to vote on Monday, with the North Carolina House expected to vote on Wednesday.
If both chambers motion to pass the bill, it will be sent to Gov.Roy Cooper’s desk. With a supermajority, Republicans could override his veto.
