What do NC candidates for governor and AG say about the fight over immigration laws?

Immigration and border security have become top issues in this year’s presidential election, but they’re also expected to come up frequently on the campaign trail in North Carolina.

A Gallup poll released in February found that, for the first time since 2019, immigration topped the list of important problems voters said were facing the country, beating out the government, the economy and inflation. A poll released by Monmouth University around the same time found that more than 8 in 10 Americans felt illegal immigration was either a very serious or somewhat serious problem.

Voters in North Carolina ranked immigration only sixth in importance, according to a WRAL poll released last month. But in that same poll, North Carolinians of all political affiliations supported greater border security, with 71% of Democrats and 77% of unaffiliated voters agreeing with 87% of Republicans that immigration across the southern border should either be stopped entirely or should be reduced from Central and South America.

Still, lawmakers in the General Assembly and in Congress remain divided on how best the issue should be addressed.

In North Carolina, GOP lawmakers are preparing to vote on legislation that would require all 100 sheriffs in the state to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Sheriffs in Democratic counties have resisted cooperating with ICE for years, and previous versions of this legislation were vetoed by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.

But now, Republicans have veto-proof majorities in both chambers, and say they’re ready to pass the bill and enact it into law.

In Washington, a bipartisan border security bill unveiled in the U.S. Senate in February that aimed to reduce illegal crossings at the southern border was met with immediate opposition by former President Donald Trump and by Republicans in the U.S. House, who said the legislation didn’t go far enough. The bill was withdrawn.

Many Republicans including Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson have claimed the bill would allow up to 5,000 illegal crossings each day before the border would close. That’s a reference to the bill granting emergency authority to the government to effectively shut down the border, a move that would become mandatory if illegal crossings reached an average of 5,000 per day for at least a week.

FactCheck.org reported that “claims that the bill would allow or accept 5,000 illegal crossings a day” are “a distortion of what’s in the bill.”

President Joe Biden, who has faced criticism for his handling of the situation at the border, has said he would sign the bill if it passed and was sent to his desk.

With immigration emerging as a key issue this election, The News & Observer asked candidates for governor and attorney general to share their positions on both the ICE bill that the GOP-controlled legislature plans to take up when lawmakers return to Raleigh later this month, and the now-scrapped federal border security bill.

Here’s what each of them said.

Attorney General Josh Stein, the Democratic nominee for governor

Stein, who has served as attorney general since 2017, won the Democratic nomination for governor last month. In a statement, he said the following about the ICE bill and the federal border security legislation.

“If someone is convicted of a crime, especially a violent one, we will hold them accountable. As the state’s top law enforcement officer, my focus is on real solutions to keep people safe here in North Carolina. I’ve listened to sheriffs and local law enforcement officers’ concerns and urged the legislature to give them the funding they need to keep us safe.

“I supported the recent, bipartisan border security legislation — the strongest in a generation. Republicans in the U.S. House need to get serious about securing our border, and politicians like Mark Robinson shouldn’t play politics with people’s safety. I recently called on Congress to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in fentanyl detection at the border, and I’m glad they just did so. We still have more to do to put pressure on China and Mexico to stem the tide of fentanyl to keep people safe.”

Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, the Republican nominee for governor

Robinson, who has served as lieutenant governor since 2021, won the Republican nomination for governor last month. In a statement, he said the following about the ICE bill.

“I strongly support HB 10 that would require sheriffs to cooperate with ICE because North Carolina cannot be a sanctuary state for illegal immigrants. President Biden’s open-border policies created a massive crisis on the southern border, and we still have no answers from the White House on the arrest of a potential terrorist suspect in our state. My opponent, who is supposed to be the state’s top law enforcement officer, denies the immigration crisis, falsely claims sanctuary cities don’t exist in North Carolina, and supports liberal sheriffs that refuse to cooperate with ICE. This is wrong, and if I am elected governor, we will never be a sanctuary state for illegal immigrants.”

Mike Lonergan, a spokesman for Robinson, had the following to say regarding the federal border security bill: “As to your question about the federal bill that failed earlier this year, as the Lt. Governor said at his press conference last week, he was supportive of some elements but opposed to others. It is also important to note that this is squarely on the White House. President Biden created this crisis himself and could solve it himself with executive action.”

U.S. Rep. Jeff Jackson, the Democratic candidate for attorney general

Jackson, a first-term congressman who is running for attorney general, won the Democratic nomination last month. His campaign released the following statement.

“Rep. Jackson supports law enforcement’s authority to detain and prosecute criminals no matter their immigration status. We need to ensure that sheriffs are supported in making the decisions that are best for their communities.

“He also supports stronger border security and is currently working with members of both parties to get legislation passed. The status quo is unacceptable, but there are some folks in Congress who want to leave that problem in place to use it for the election. That’s dangerous and wrong.”

U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop, the Republican nominee for attorney general

Bishop, who has served in Congress since 2019, ran unopposed for the Republican nomination for attorney general.

Asked if he supported the ICE bill, Bishop said the following.

“Yes. Open borders Democrats have abused executive power nationally and locally to disarm the mechanisms of immigration law designed to protect Americans from criminal illegal aliens. Sanctuary sheriffs, including some in North Carolina, made a political show of refusing to cooperate with ICE detainers. Now, Americans like Laken Riley are reaping the whirlwind Democrats have sown, and even Democrats widely acknowledge, finally, the crisis they have created. It’s time for the return of law and order. The General Assembly should require sheriffs to cooperate with ICE detainers. As AG, I’ll see to it they do.”

Responding to a question about whether he supported the bipartisan border security bill in Congress, Bishop said the following.

“It wasn’t really bipartisan. Given that Biden’s lawless catch-and-release open borders policy has caused a crisis everyone recognizes, what would be solved by codifying that very policy into law, setting a base flow of illegal aliens at 1.8 million per year? The way to end Joe Biden’s migrant crisis is to begin obeying the law and holding those accountable who flout it.”

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