The North Carolina Senate passed a bill Monday that would require all sheriffs to comply with voluntary detention requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The vote was 27 to 17.
The bill requires sheriffs to determine if inmates are legal U.S. residents when they’re arrested for certain felonies and misdemeanors. If the person is undocumented, authorities will have to notify ICE of the inmate's status.
Some sheriffs in North Carolina already collaborate with ICE through a voluntary program called 287(g). Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden is against both 287(g) and HB 10.
The bill will now go to the North Carolina House, which is expected to vote on the bill Wednesday morning.
Republican lawmakers have been trying to pass similar bills for years. Now with a supermajority, Republicans could override a likely veto by Governor Roy Cooper.
