North Carolina Governor Vetoes Bill Compelling Sheriffs To Cooperate With ICE

August 21, 2019 by Dan McCue
North Carolina Governor Vetoes Bill Compelling Sheriffs To Cooperate With ICE
Immigration agents will target Miami, Atlanta, Chicago, Baltimore, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York City, and San Francisco. (John Moore/Getty Images/TNS) **FOR USE WITH THIS STORY ONLY*

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper vetoed a bill Wednesday that would have required the state’s sheriffs to honor detention requests from federal immigration standards.

The veto came a day after the Republican-controlled North Carolina House voted along party lines to approve the measure mandating cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

The bill was approved by the GOP-controlled state Senate in June.

In a statement, Cooper said the bill was merely at attempt by the Republicans to score partisan political points and to use fear to divide the state’s residents.

 “As the former top law enforcement officer of our state, I know that current law allows the state to jail and prosecute dangerous criminals regardless of immigration status,” Cooper said. “This bill, in addition to being unconstitutional, weakens law enforcement in North Carolina by mandating sheriffs to do the job of federal agents, using local resources that could hurt their ability to protect their counties.

“Finally, to elevate their partisan political pandering, the legislature has made a sheriff’s violation of this new immigration duty as the only specifically named duty violation that can result in a sheriff’s removal from office,” the governor added.

Republican lawmakers immediately struck back, accusing Cooper of caring more about the rights of people in the country illegally than the safety of North Carolinians.

They cited the case of a violent criminal who was arrested in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, released after posting bond, and later recaptured by ICE.

“Instead of signing this common sense bill, Governor Cooper is choosing to side with sheriffs like the Mecklenburg County Sheriff who in June ignored an ICE detainer request on a man in custody for rape and child sex offense charges and released this dangerous individual back into the community,” said State Senator Chuck Edwards.

He continued: “Law enforcement officers have a sworn responsibility to protect their citizens and that includes cooperating with federal authorities.”

While passions surrounding the bill are high, it’s unclear whether Republican lawmakers will attempt to override Cooper’s veto. They would need Democratic votes to do so, but so far, they appear united in their opposition to the legislation.

A+
a-
  • ICE
  • Immigration
  • North Carolina
  • Roy Cooper
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    State News

    April 13, 2025
    by Beth McCue
    Colorado Warms to Geothermal Energy, Awards $14.4M in Project Funding

    DENVER, Colo. — “The heat beneath our feet.” That’s how Colorado Gov. Jared Polis referred to geothermal energy when he... Read More

    DENVER, Colo. — “The heat beneath our feet.” That’s how Colorado Gov. Jared Polis referred to geothermal energy when he made his recent announcement of $14.4 million in funding to support geothermal heating projects in his state. The funding from the Geothermal Energy Grant Program and Geothermal... Read More

    Supreme Court Rejects Republican-led Effort to Halt Climate Change Lawsuits in Democratic-led states

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a lawsuit from Republican attorneys general in 19 states aimed at blocking climate change suits... Read More

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a lawsuit from Republican attorneys general in 19 states aimed at blocking climate change suits against the oil and gas industry from Democratic-led states. The justices acted on an unusual Republican effort to file suit in the Supreme Court over the... Read More

    Trump's Celebration of American Greatness Puts a Spotlight on a Little-Known Panel of Experts

    Within hours of taking office, President Donald Trump outlined in one of his many executive orders a mission to celebrate... Read More

    Within hours of taking office, President Donald Trump outlined in one of his many executive orders a mission to celebrate American greatness and to recognize those who have made contributions throughout history. He jumpstarted the effort by ordering the name of North America’s tallest peak to be changed... Read More

    Georgia Islanders Rushed to Rescue Survivors After Dock Walkway Collapsed Killing Seven

    SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Orange life jackets bobbed in the water, where bystanders rushed to form a human chain for passing... Read More

    SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Orange life jackets bobbed in the water, where bystanders rushed to form a human chain for passing survivors to safety. Others shouldered the task of wrapping bodies in blankets and carrying them to shore. The frantic scene after an aluminum gangway collapsed Saturday at a... Read More

    Wind Power Can Be a Major Source of Tax Revenue, but Officials Struggle to Get Communities on Board

    PIPER CITY, Ill. (AP) — In Scott Saffer's science classroom, kids bake cookies in a decked-out kitchen, care for fish,... Read More

    PIPER CITY, Ill. (AP) — In Scott Saffer's science classroom, kids bake cookies in a decked-out kitchen, care for fish, turtles and a snake, and have access to a workshop full of tools. As the gifted enrichment coordinator at Tri-Point School District, Saffer is living his... Read More

    Great Basin Tribes Want Bahsahwahbee Massacre Site in Nevada Named National Monument

    ELY, Nev. (AP) — White attackers turned a lush, high desert oasis in eastern Nevada, with its bubbling springs and... Read More

    ELY, Nev. (AP) — White attackers turned a lush, high desert oasis in eastern Nevada, with its bubbling springs and a rare stand of Rocky Mountain junipers, into killing fields. They massacred hundreds of Native people there in the 1800s — a horrific history once retold... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top