The North Carolina state legislature just made a huge move to mandate enforcement of immigration laws against illegal aliens across the state — moved to action by a high-profile murder 3,000 miles away.
The state Senate and House voted overwhelmingly to ban counties and municipalities from having “sanctuary city” policies that limit enforcement of immigration laws.
The bill now awaits the signature of Gov. Pat McCrory (R).
Supporters of the measure say local governments shouldn’t get to opt out of federal laws. They pointed to several “sanctuary cities” in North Carolina, including Charlotte, Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Durham.
The bill was inspired by the horrific death of San Francisco native Kate Steinle, who was gunned down by a Mexican illegal alien in July, after he had been released under that city’s shameful sanctuary policies.
Under the bill, local governments would be banned from preventing their law enforcement officers from asking about a suspect’s immigration status. They also couldn’t stop law enforcement from sharing immigration information with federal authorities.
North Carolina has been devastated by illegal alien crime. One stunning report showed that, in 2014 alone, there were 4,317 charges of rape of a child 13 or under by illegal aliens.
“It just makes common sense to me that we as a legislature would not do anything that would entice any government entities under our oversight to break the law,” said Sen. Norman Sanderson, the Pamlico County Republican who presented the bill. “I think it’s sad that we’re even having to consider this kind of legislation.”
The “sanctuary cities” ban doesn’t spell out penalties for local governments that don’t comply. Sen. Jerry Tillman, a Randolph County Republican, said he’d like to add severe consequences.
“We need to punish them,” Tillman said. “If I could, I’d take their charters.”
Tillman said the local immigration policies create havens for criminals. “All that is is a welcome mat to come on in if you’re a criminal and you’re here illegally,” he said. “What in the world is wrong with reporting criminals?”
Immigration “sanctuary” policies differ between towns. Carrboro instructed its police several years ago to ignore deportation orders for immigrants here illegally if they aren’t wanted for other crimes. Chapel Hill police have had a policy to follow deportation orders but won’t ask about a suspect’s immigration status.
The immigration provision was added to a House bill that also requires state and local government agencies to hire only contractors that follow E-Verify laws to check workers’ immigration status. The bill also establishes that consular documents issued by a foreign embassy aren’t a valid form of identification.
That provision drew concern from Sen. Josh Stein, a Raleigh Democrat and candidate for attorney general. He says it would mean some immigrants would be listed as “John Doe” in court documents, making it harder to identify them.
“We should be making our state safer and not putting our people at risk,” he said.
Sanderson said the provision shouldn’t cause problems and has support from state public safety officials.
The bill is now in the hands of the governor. La Raza, the ACLU and Southern Poverty Law Center is trying to organize members to call McCrory against signing the bill.
Source: Top Right News