The North Carolina House passed a bill Wednesday to direct state agencies to vet residents’ immigration status before providing them benefits. The vote was 68 to 43.
The bill includes the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Commerce, and the University of North Carolina system.
“This is gonna be cataclysmic for our agencies," Rep. Deb Butler of New Hanover County said. "It’s gonna force them, who are already stretched thin, to become immigration enforcement officers.”
Some state agencies already ensure that people are lawful North Carolina residents before providing them benefits.
This bill now heads to the North Carolina Senate for consideration.
