RALEIGH, N.C. – The North Carolina State Senate is pushing ahead with legislation that would give state patrol officers the right to enforce federal immigration laws, but not without opposition.

Senate Bill 145 also threatens loss of funding to force the University of North Carolina system and local governments to provide a person's legal status to authorities.

On Thursday, some Raleigh businesses hosted letter-writing stations for customers to share their views about the bill with lawmakers.

An organizer against the bill, Trey Roberts, explains his concerns.

"It's not getting enough attention,” says Roberts. “It's already passed twice in the North Carolina Senate, and it will practically make patrol officers into immigration officers, and then, also violate students' FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) rights, which is their privacy."

The letters will be hand delivered to lawmakers by the ACLU of North Carolina.

Roberts adds if it passes, the bill allows anonymous tipsters to report undocumented immigrants and local governments that might not be following immigration law. The state attorney general would then be required to investigate every report, which opponents say could be costly.

Supporters of the bill say it would make it easier for the federal government to enforce existing laws.

The legislation passed the Senate last year and could come up for a vote in the House during this year's short session.

But Sarah Gillooly, director of political strategy and advocacy with the ACLU of North Carolina, says the bill creates more problems than it solves.

"SB 145 ultimately does nothing to make our communities safer or more secure in North Carolina,” she says. “What SB 145 does is create confusion and fear, and will jeopardize the rights of both immigrants and non-immigrants in North Carolina."

Roberts says on this issue or any other North Carolinians may feel passionate about, it's important to put pen to paper and write a letter.

"It's more effective than email,” he says. “Phone calls and writing hand-written letters are way more effective, because they don't get them as much. They can purge through those emails. It's more impactful to see that someone from your community is writing to you."

Reporting by North Carolina News Connection in association with Media in the Public Interest and funded in part by the Park Foundation.


get more stories like this via email

Southeast Asian refugees at risk of deportation in Massachusetts are asking President Biden to pardon them before he leaves office.

Deportations skyrocketed under the first Trump administration with removals of Cambodians up nearly 300%.

Kevin Lam, co-executive director of the Southeast Asian Freedom Network, said many Vietnam War refugees lacked the resources to apply for citizenship and risk being separated from their families once again.

"There's action that the Biden Administration can take right now to truly protect immigrant and refugee communities from the threat of detentions and deportations under Trump," Lam contended.

Lam pointed out it includes extending the Temporary Protected Status for immigrants from countries impacted by war or other dangerous conditions and protecting DACA recipients with new H-1B visas.

The 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnam War will be marked in 2025. More than 1 million Vietnamese, Cambodian and Laotian refugees resettled in the U.S., including parts of Boston and Lowell. Some became entangled in the criminal justice system as they grappled with the trauma of war and now face removal over decades-old convictions.

Lam stressed Biden can rectify policies he once supported, which led to mass incarceration and expulsion of refugees.

"The implications of policies that were passed under him and actions that were taken through him have put Southeast Asians into the prison to deportation pipeline," Lam asserted.

Last month, Biden granted clemency to nearly 1,500 Americans and said he would consider more pardons before the end of his term next week.

Lam argued refugees who fled U.S. military intervention to rebuild their lives in Massachusetts deserve the same chance.


get more stories like this via email

With President-elect Donald Trump set to take office on Monday, a Pennsylvania group is helping some residents prepare for possible deportation actions and warning of the consequences.

Trump has said his administration will undertake what he called "the largest mass deportation in U.S. history."

Cathryn Miller-Wilson, executive director of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society Pennsylvania, advised people to stay calm, assert their right to a hearing and avoid opening their doors to unexpected visitors. She added mass deportation would mean workforce shortages for the state, as well as higher tax burdens for residents and businesses.

"What's going to happen if there is success with the proposed policies is, first of all, a good chunk -- maybe 50% or more -- of the workforce will simply disappear," Miller-Wilson pointed out. "They'll either be put into detention or they'll be deported," she said.

America First Legal, representing the Trump administration, has already cautioned more than 200 officials in so-called "sanctuary" jurisdictions about possible legal repercussions for hindering federal immigration enforcement or assisting undocumented people.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has pledged to protect residents' rights and uphold community safety.

Miller-Wilson said her organization is working with officials to help keep schools and courts safe, ensuring the children of undocumented parents can go to classes without fear. She added they are also working to provide legal resources and social services to people, particularly those who have lower incomes.

"We've been receiving, since Election Day, an increasing number of calls from individuals who want representation; who may be eligible for a legal remedy and are concerned about trying to get that remedy before the 20th, something that is likely not to happen because the immigration process is so slow," Miller-Wilson outlined.

Miller-Wilson explained misinformation leads to misunderstandings about who crosses the border, and said many people who are undocumented initially entered the country legally but let their visas expire.


get more stories like this via email

A proposed amendment to strip Chicago of its sanctuary protections is scheduled to be voted on this week.

The change to the Welcome City Ordinance would allow Chicago police to work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to deport undocumented residents arrested for crimes related to gangs, drugs, prostitution, human trafficking and sex crimes involving minors.

Ed Yohnka, director of communications and public policy for the ACLU of Illinois, said the move could be illegal.

"Changing the ordinance would put the city of Chicago at odds with the state policy around the Illinois Trust Act, where that would then situate the state's largest city in terms of cooperating with ICE officials when other people are not permitted to."

State law prohibits Illinois law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration agents. The proposed amendment will be voted on at Wednesday's city council meeting.

Alders Ray Lopez and Silvana Tabares said they proposed the tweak to appease the incoming Trump administration and deter action against law-abiding noncitizens. Yohnka called the idea unsettling.

"Changing that now when you have an administration that speaks with such cruelty and ferocity about newcomers is, I think, especially corrosive and troubling," Yohnka added.

Other concerns he raised are the lack of due process and how the change would undermine public safety.

Both Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Gov. JB Pritzker have said they would protect noncitizen immigrants. Pritzker would make one exception, arguing felons should be evicted from the country.


get more stories like this via email