NC official: Cities will suffer if GOP pushes deportation law through | Opinion

When it comes to deporting North Carolina’s immigrants, our Republican lawmakers are hoping that the fourth time’s the charm.

For years, the state GOP has been trying to pass a law that would require local sheriffs to collaborate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Now, with a legislative supermajority on their side, they might finally succeed. The N.C. Senate signed off on the bill last week, and House Speaker Tim Moore says he’ll move quickly to send the legislation to Gov. Roy Cooper.

Cooper has blocked the bill in the past, but if the GOP stays in lockstep they could override Cooper’s veto. That will be a real problem for cities like Durham, Charlotte and Raleigh.

Sheriffs from urban counties, including Wake, Durham, Mecklenburg and Orange, have opposed past efforts to make them work with ICE. Forcing local cops to do the federal government’s job, they say, would leave N.C. taxpayers footing the bill and make it harder for local law enforcement to protect and serve communities.

Part of the issue is that when cops take on immigration enforcement duties, immigrants stop reporting crimes or coming forward as witnesses. Most immigrants are highly supportive of the police, but when local cops start working with ICE that support evaporates.

Even Latinos with U.S. citizenship, for instance, are far less likely to report crimes if they live in areas where police are involved in immigration enforcement. Over 200,000 U.S. citizens in North Carolina, including over 170,000 children, have at least one undocumented family member. Do we really want these people to feel unsafe and unsupported if they’re the victims of a crime?

It’s not just immigrants hurt by these laws. Mecklenburg Sheriff Garry McFadden says when police turn actual criminals over to ICE, they’re deported without facing trial. McFadden said given that many undocumented immigrants return to the U.S. after being deported, this could lead to criminals going unpunished and then reentering our communities.

Ironically, even ICE is increasingly reluctant to ask local cops to detain immigrants. After issuing around 14,000 detainers per month during the Trump administration, they’ve issued only a couple of thousand per month during the Biden presidency. That’s partly because the agency had detained and deported dozens of U.S. citizens.

Given all this, it’s fair to ask why Republican lawmakers are so eager to force an alliance between local sheriffs and ICE. Perhaps it’s an exercise in political dominance. The N.C. Senate is heavily gerrymandered, so GOP lawmakers can impose their political projects on Democratic enclaves without much risk of blowback.

Similar laws are being pushed in many other states as part of the GOP’s election year marketing strategy. When Gov. Cooper last vetoed this legislation, in 2022, he warned that it was “only about scoring political points and using fear to divide North Carolinians.”

As the election approaches, let’s focus on issues that really matter to North Carolinians — like strengthening our innovation economy, supporting businesses and investing in key areas like education and healthcare. Let’s let police do the job they signed up for: protect our cities.

Sheriffs know that existing laws already give them the power to lock up anyone who poses a threat. Let’s not spark unnecessary fear in the hearts of our immigrant neighbors. Instead, let’s reassure them that they are welcome and safe here in North Carolina. Let’s show them that the police are partners, not adversaries to be feared.

Cooper should veto this bill, as he has before. And Republicans should think long and hard about whether they really want to put their names to a legislation that would make life harder for our police officers — and make N.C. communities less safe.

Steve Rao is a Morrisville Town Council member. He’s on the board of the American Immigration Council.